SOS
by KawaiiGaara
Summary: A field trip gone awry. Will the survivors survive on what seems to be a deserted island? Or will they succomb to what Mother Nature throws their way?
1. Maroon

Prologue

_Maroon- [muh-roon] To place in an isolated and often dangerous position; To abandon and leave without aid or resources. _

Bella handed in her permission slip and Mr. Banner, the Biology teacher, smiled and placed it in the pile with all the others. "Cutting it rather close aren't ya?" Mr. Banner joked. "The field trip _is_ tomorrow."

Bella shrugged and walked back to her seat to collect her things and leave.

Mr. Banner made one last announcement to the class after the bell rang and the students were preparing to leave. "I hope everyone is excited about the field trip to the Bahamas tomorrow."

The class cheered in appreciation and a few whistles trilled through the air.

"So I'm here to remind you to pack enough for a week. Don't forget to bring your textbooks, we will have a few assignments during the duration of the trip-

A series of groans filtered through the crowd.

"Oh come on Mr. B. This is a _field_ trip. That means _fun_, not _homework_." Mike complained.

Mr. Banner continued talking as though Mike hadn't interrupted him. "-but after three o'clock, you have the day to yourself. Just make sure you are back in the hotel we're staying at by eight."

The students cheered on their way out of the classroom, and Bella met up with Angela and Jacob. "Hey guys." She greeted, falling into step beside them.

"Hey Bella." Angela smiled, and Jacob leaned down to give her a hug.

"Are you girls excited about the field trip?" Jacob asked enthusiastically.

Angela nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "We've been fundraising for this trip for weeks. I'm just happy we earned enough for the senior class to go."

"I hear that." Bella agreed. "I thought I would never escape the smell of brownies and cookies."

The trio walked into the parking lot where they carpooled into Alice's car. "It took you guys long enough." She joked, starting the car when they were all seated. "So, about this field trip!"

"Excited?" Angela asked.

"Oh yeah!" Alice exclaimed. "I've already packed my bags. I am so ready."

"I bet you packed like, eight suitcases." Jacob teased as Alice pulled up to Angela's street.

Alice scoffed at his words. "No. I only packed six." She retorted.

Jacob rolled his eyes and Alice parked in the driveway. "I'll be by to pick you up at seven. So be ready. It's a long drive to the airport."

Angela agreed to be ready, then left the car and headed into her house.

"Okay next stop, Bella's house." Alice put the car in drive and began the short five minute drive to Bella's house.

"So what about this flight though?" Alice threw out. "Do you know how long it's going to take to fly from Forks to Miami then get on a boat to take us to the Bahamas?"

"How long?" Bella asked, not interested. But knowing Alice would tell them anyways. So she humored the girl.

"Hours!" Alice groaned, throwing her hands up in frustration. "It takes three hours!"

Jacob laughed and mussed Alice's spiky hair. "That's okay. We'll have fun on the way."

Alice glared up at Jacob's hand. "I guess." She pouted and pulled up alongside Bella's house. "Well, I can't complain. We're going to the Bahamas!"

~S.O.S~

After driving to an airport that was nearly an hour away, Alice parked her car in the back of the lot and exited the car along with Bella, Jacob and Angela.

"Are you sure this is the zone for leaving your car if you're taking a trip somewhere?" Alice asked Jacob, biting on her lower lip nervously.

"It is. Now we need to get our bags. We're late enough as it is." Jacob confirmed, then walked around to the trunk that was open. He grabbed his one suitcase, and helped the girls with theirs as well. Angela and Bella had two while Alice had four.

"Did you pack for every occasion that could come up?" Angela joked.

"And then some." Alice affirmed seriously.

Laughter from the friends escorted them into the airport where the rest of their classmates where waiting with Mr. Banner.

"Okay. Is that everyone?" Mr. Banner asked, calling off the names on the permission slips. "We have Jessica, Mike, Angela, Quil, Embry, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Edward, Jasper, Ben, Tyler, Eric, Austin, Katie, Jacob, Bella, Lauren, Leah, Jared, Paul, Jane, Alec and Felix." Mr. Banner looked at all 24 seniors and smiled. "Okay! Now we may leave."

The seniors and Mr. Banner boarded the plane in an orderly fashion and before they knew it they were landing in Miami, preparing to hop aboard the large ship titled the S.S. Twilight.

"Single file." Mr. Banner ordered, counting the seniors as they walked onto the bus with their luggage.

"This is so exciting!" Jessica squealed.

"I hope I don't get seasick." Eric groaned, covering his mouth.

"I am so ready for this vacation." Rosalie smiled happily.

"I know babe. We can relax together on the beach." Emmett grinned.

"I hope I have enough money to buy souvenirs." Katie murmured.

"Party time!" Tyler cheered.

"Get out of my way." Leah grunted, pushing a startled Embry off to the side.

"Someone has an attitude." Paul jeered, earning a glare from the girl.

Once everyone was on the boat, Mr. Banner read off a list of rules they were to comply with or else the trip would be terminated for that individual and they'd be on the first plane home. Everyone listened to the rules quietly, not wanting to risk being kicked off the boat before they even went anywhere. After ten minutes, the seniors dispersed on the boat and Mr. Banner went below deck to his room where he could nap.

Bella found her circle of friends and joined them in the small bedroom the three girls decided to share.

"So what should we do on our first day?" Alice asked, picking up a brochure on the Bahamas.

Jacob was sitting on one of the beds, playing with a hacky sack. "We should play on the beach." He suggested.

Alice squealed excitedly. "We should. I can get a nice tan and then wear my new bikini."

Angela and Bella laughed softly. "We should also check out the mall." Angela suggested after laughing.

"Of course!" Alice agreed immediately. "I want to go on a shopping spree. But I don't want to lug all those bags so…" Alice glanced over at Jacob who dropped the hacky sack upon linking eyes with Alice.

"Alice! No!" he groaned. "I'm not your personal butler who goes around carrying your stuff for you."

"Oh pretty please." Alice begged.

"No." he said adamantly. "Just because I'm the only guy of the group, it doesn't mean I want to go the mall with you and carry your stuff."

Alice pouted and Bella sat beside Jacob on the bed. "Will you at least come with us?" Bella asked him quietly.

"Yeah." Jacob responded, smiling up at Bella.

Alice and Angela knew that Jacob had a crush on Bella, but Bella was completely oblivious. Alice decided to use this to her advantage.

"Hey Bella?" Alice asked, looking over at Bella.

"Yes?" Bella responded, absentmindedly running her hand through Jacob's hair.

"Don't you think it would be nice of Jacob if he would be so kind as to hold our bags for us while we shopped?"

Jacob's eyes narrowed as he caught on to what Alice was doing.

Bella blinked innocently at Alice then nodded slowly. "It would," she began.

Alice smiled triumphantly and Jacob sighed, preparing to agree to the tedious task.

"But only if he wants to. If he doesn't, then it's okay." Bella finished with a smile.

Alice's smile fell and she pouted again. "Fine." She relented. "You don't have to carry our stuff. But if you want to, I'll pay you."

Jacob grinned at her. "Money huh? Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "We'll discuss how much, later." Her stomach growled and she stood from the chair she had been sitting on and walked out the open door, closing it on her way out.

Angela laid back on her bed and looked over at the should-be couple.

Bella was resting her head against the wall, running her hand through Jacob's hair while Jacob rested his head in her lap, a light lush spreading from his nose to his cheeks. He'd ceased his hacky sack play, and was just reveling in the feeling of Bella's fingers against his scalp.

There was a comfortable silence for a while, until people started walking by the closed door anxiously.

"The captain said there's a storm up ahead." Felix's annoyed voice could be heard as he walked by.

"I hope this dinky boat can handle it." Paul grunted.

"I don't want my hair to get wet!" Jessica complained.

"Where is my bookbag! Has anyone seen my backpack?" Eric asked loudly.

"Look at the gray clouds. This is going to be an interesting trip." Jane mused.

"Was that lightening off in the distance?" Alec asked.

"Look at the water! The waves are getting raunchy!" Ben thought aloud.

"The wind! My purse!" Lauren screamed.

"Am I the only one who noticed the darkening sky?" Edward asked rhetorically.

Silence from everyone outside, then panic ensued as the boat began to rock wildly. Even the trio inside the room were starting to get uneasy of the goings on outside of their room.

Lightening crackled across the sky and thunder was not far behind as it clamored loudly. Unearthly loud, signaling they were directly under the storm.

Bella shuddered from the noise, not being one who was fond of storms. Jacob sat up and quickly wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. She shivered from the embrace and rested her head against his chest.

"Who would've thought we'd encounter a storm?" Angela spoke, as the boat swayed harshly. The bags on the floor began sliding from one side of the room to the next, and screams above deck could be heard.

"Is it really that bad?" Bella asked, beginning to panic.

Jacob clutched her tighter to his body and nuzzled into her hair. "It's probably just a normal storm. But since we're on a boat, it seems worse." Jacob told her.

"I hope so." Bella whispered in response.

More screams outside and Angela got up and walked over to the door. Bella, not wanting her friend to be alone in her investigations, followed after and Jacob brought up the rear. Angela opened the door and was instantly pelted with the harsh storm above.

"Holy-

Thunder bellowed, drowning out her words. The wind was thrashing around the boat savagely, threatening to overturn it at any moment.

Mr. Banner could be seen running across the deck, trying to calm the students who were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The rain continued its vengeance against the boat and its occupants.

Bella, and everyone else on the deck, were drenched with the rain water. It didn't help that the temperature seemed to have dropped and your breath could be seen in the air in front of your face.

"Everyone! Head to the lower levels!" Mr. Banner screamed, holding onto a rail as the boat leaned precariously to the side.

Katie screamed as she slipped on the floor and slid over to the edge of the boat before falling over the rail and crashing into the dark ocean below.

"KATIE!" Austin screamed, peering over the side of the boat that had righted.

Katie's head did not resurface, and Mr. Banner joined Austin's side, looking down at the ocean in hopes to find his student.

"Did she just fall overboard?" Jessica asked horrendously.

"We're all going to die!" Mike screeched in horror.

"I don't want to die!" Tyler shrieked, racing for his room below deck.

Mr. Banner knew he couldn't let things go on like this. A student had fallen overboard. He needed to alert the captain so they could turn around and find the girl. He turned to the first student next to him and spoke quickly.

"Bella, stay here and keep a look out for Katie. I'm going to go talk to the captain."

Before Bella could object, Mr. Banner was off and Austin was climbing up on the rail.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked in shock.

"I'm not going to let my girlfriend drown!" he growled at Bella before diving into the choppy water below.

"Austin!" Laruen cried, watching the guy she'd been crushing on for months, disappear over the side of the boat.

Most of the seniors were now gripping the railing with dear life as the boat swayed dangerously, side to side. Everyone was looking below at the water in search of the two overboard seniors.

"I think I see a head!" Emmett yelled, pointing at a black blob in the water that could've been anything.

Everyone looked in the direction of Emmett's finger but couldn't distinguish if the blob was in fact Austin or just some sea debris.

"Oh no!" Embry gaped in horror at the large wave approaching the front of the boat rapidly.

Eyes widened in shock as the wave grew closer.

"Is that a glacier?" Alec asked surprised.

"No you idiot! It's a wave!" Jared yelled, punching the boy's arm in anger.

"No look!" Alec insisted, rubbing his arm and pointing at the looming pale white glacier preparing to rip into the ship.

Jacob saw the glacier, as did everyone else, and knew no one was going to be able to make it to their rooms in time. He released his hands from the rails and held onto Bella, knowing the impact was going to be intense.

"This is the worse field trip ever." Felix grumbled as the glacier ripped through the boat, throwing everyone's world into chaos for just as things were getting bad, the wave crashed over everyone, scattering their bodies across the treacherous water.

Jacob felt his arms were torn from Bella's body and screamed as he was thrown in the opposite direction. "Bella!"

Bella's body hit the water roughly, before sinking down into the depths of the dark abyss below. She felt her body cringe from the drastic temperature of the water. Unearthly cold, she couldn't even think for a minute. Her body merely sank from the force of being flung into the ocean, then started floating to the surface.

Once her head broke the surface, she breathed deeply and tried moving her body. But the chill had shocked her body and she found it extremely difficult to move. Somehow, she managed to unlock her muscles and began doggy paddling towards where she thought the boat was located.

Although, upon closer inspection, she found the boat everywhere. Bella's eyes widened in dread when she saw the destruction the glacier and wave had caused. The boat had been ripped in half viciously and numerous parts had been torn apart and were now floating along the dark ocean.

With the gloomy thick cloud covering the sun, Bella could hardly make out anything.

The wind tore through the air, shrilling like a banshee. Bella couldn't even hear anyone. _If_ anyone was still out there.

"Jacob!" she screamed. "Jacob, where are you!"

But the wind drowned out her feeble screams.

"Angela? Alice?" Bella continued persistently. "Jacob?" she whispered sadly.

Controlling her emotions, she paddled around aimlessly for a while before spotting the outline of an island off in the distance. Deciding to try and swim for it, she kicked her feet towards the island, and began swimming through the storm.

**A/N: I know, I have some weird liking for ships and storms xD Anywho, whatcha think of the prologue? So much is to come. If you have any suggestions or comments, PLEASE do not hesitate and click the review link below. :3 (Btw, if you were confused by anything in this chapter, this whole situation will be elaborated on in later chapters)**


	2. Lackadaisical

Chapter 1

_Lackadaisical [lak-uh-dey-zi-kuhl]- Without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic; lazy or idle._

Coughing up the salty sea water, Bella sluggishly dragged her lethargic body onto to the sandy beach of the island. The storm had moved on and the raining had ceased. It had taken her the better part of an hour to swim to the island. She'd almost given up hope when the waves seemed to work against her. But her persistence paid off and now she was able to relax her cold wet body on the sandy shore.

Bella's eyes fluttered closed, and she felt the tide recede as she fell asleep. Her body, completely spent, allowed her to sleep until the next day.

With the sun glaring down on her now dry body, Bella opened her eyes slowly. At first, she didn't remember where she was and why one side of her face felt gritty. Sitting up, she looked around at the vast ocean glittering in the sunlight, and large palm trees behind her shifting in the slight breeze.

Reaching up, she wiped the sand from her face and gagged at the salty taste in her mouth. Remembering her swim yesterday, she cupped her eyes against the sun and looked off into the distance. There was no sign of the boat, but she did see a few scattered pieces of what looked like luggage and boat parts floating gently on the surface of the water, a few meters out.

Turning her back to the ocean, she looked up and down the shoreline, in search of anyone else. Spotting nothing but sand, palm trees and the occasional crab, she decided it was time to walk around. So, rising to her feet shakily, Bella stretched, hearing bones creak and pop. Her once white shirt had tanned from the sand, and her jean capris were wrinkled. She'd lost her shoes in the ocean but managed to maintain her socks. _"Small miracles."_ She thought to herself before walking along the shore.

Bella walked for about twenty minutes and ended up walking the perimeter of one side of the island. She hadn't come across anyone, and was starting to wonder if she was the only one to have survived the storm. Her stomach was growling angrily and she clutched it, sorry that she couldn't feed it. If her hunger was bad, her thirst was worse. The salty ocean that she accidentally drank the day before, had rendered her unbearably thirsty. Ignoring the feelings her body wracked with, she continued looking around the island for anyone. But if she were being honest with herself, she wasn't looking very hard. After all, the others could be somewhere beyond the palm trees but Bella was wary of the unfamiliar land. Sighing, she continued walking around the beach.

"Get away! Shoo!"

Bella had been kicking the sand with her toes, no longer paying attention to where she was going, when she heard the voice. At first she thought it was her mind playing a trick on her, for when she scanned the area, no one was in sight. But then she heard the voice again.

"Ah! Stop it! Get away from me!"

Running towards the voice, she climbed a small hill inconveniently placed on the beach and soon the sun was facing behind her as she continued towards the voice. Huffing and puffing, she slowed to a stop when the owner of the voice entered her line of sight.

"You stupid crab! Stop trying to pinch my leg!"

Bella walked over to the boy lying on the ground. He looked as unkempt as Bella with his wet clothes that clung to his body in wrinkles; his short dark hair had tan streaks from the sand that was engrained inside.

Bella saw the crab and sure enough, it was adamant on pinching his legs. He had obtained numerous scrapes and cuts that she wondered if he received via the shipwreck or the crab. But her biggest question was why he didn't just get up and walk away from the crab. That seemed like a reasonable thing to do, especially since she didn't suspect he enjoyed being attacked by an angry crab.

As she came closer she realized his dilemma and gasped. Her gasp caused the boy's attention to stray from the crab and he smiled when he saw her.

"Oh thank the stars! I thought I was going to die! Bella, can you get this crab away from me?" the boy asked, glaring at the crab as it pinched his abused leg once more, drawing blood.

Bella hurried to his side and lifted the crab quickly before tossing it into the ocean.

"Thank you so much." the boy said, before falling back into the sand. "I don't know what I would've done had you not come."

Bella walked over to the boy and looked down at his legs. His left leg was stretched out in front of him and was cut in many places with a few scabs here and there. But his right leg is what drew Bella's attention. While it too, had cuts and bruises, the boys' foot was twisted at an odd angle. One that Bella knew wasn't possible unless it was broken. She didn't know how to address this obvious hindrance to the boy, so she began tentatively.

"Quil," she began, remembering his name. He was after all, one of Jacob's best guy friends. "Your foot. Um... it's..."

Quil looked up at her, then propped himself up on his elbows so he could see his foot. "Yeah, broken. I know." he stated bitterly.

They both stared at the shoeless foot. "How did it happen?" she asked, curiosity ruling out her usual 'not ask questions' attitude.

Quil sighed before flopping back down in the sand and wincing from the pain of jostling his body. "When the boat hit the glacier, I was trying to dodge some falling ice but I slipped and fell. As I was getting up, a big piece of ice fell on my foot and since my foot was at an angle..." he trailed to a stop and closed his eyes.

"Does it hurt?" she asked hesitantly.

Quil laughed sourly. "That's the sad thing. I can't feel it at all. It'll be different when I try to walk."

They both looked at the foot again and knew it was going to be impossible for him to stand up properly, let alone walk.

An awkward silence ensued and Bella didn't know what to do to clear the air. Luckily for her, she didn't have to say anything. Her stomach did the talking by growling very loudly.

Quil laughed and Bella cracked a smile. "Hungry huh? Me too."

Bella looked towards the ocean where she threw the crab. "It's too bad that crab is gone. It would've made a good breakfast."

Quil snorted. "How would we cook it?"

Bella pointed to the palm trees behind them. "I'd gather some wood and try to start a fire of course."

"Fires are harder to start by hand, than it would seem in movies." Quil told her honestly. "Besides, you're a girl. So that makes it doubly hard for you."

Bella scowled at the boy. "That's a sexist thing to say."

Quil grinned. "But it's true." he insisted. "Why do you think boy scouts hike and girl scouts sell cookies?"

Bella didn't want to entertain Quil by continuing the conversation. Instead, she rose from the ground and brushed the sand off of her capris. What little that did, she ceased the motion when the sand remained attached.

"Where are you going? I'm sorry if I offended you." Quil's face flashed with regret over his words. Bella put his mind at ease with a calm smile.

"I'm not leaving you. I'm just going to try and find us some food."

Quil sighed in relief. "Oh. You sure you don't want to just sit here and wait to be rescued?"

Bella patted her empty stomach and shrugged. "We can't all be lazy like you."

Quil sorted and watched as Bella began walking towards the trees.

Bella saw a large stick sitting near a palm tree and picked it up quickly. Walking back over to Quil, she dropped it by his body. "Just in case the crab comes back." she teased. Quil made a face, but accepted the stick gratefully.

Turning back towards the palm trees and forest beyond that, Bella drew in an encouraging breath before pressing forth and venturing into the coppice.

The shade was a cool relief against the sun that she didn't realize had been beaming down on her. The forest at first wasn't that dense. She was able to maneuver over roots and leaves easily. But the thick tree tops blotted out much sun so only a few slivers helped her see through the relative darkness. Any noise that she heard, be it a snap of a branch or a bird squawking, she jumped in fright. Bella had no idea what was out there and she found it hard to be there, alone. Luckily for her though, she spotted a banana tree a few yards away.

Walking up to the skinny tree, she glanced up at the brown spotted bananas hanging about twelve feet in the air. "Now how am I supposed to get them?" she mused aloud.

First, she tried jumping, but her hands didn't even graze the bananas. The tree was impossible for her to climb for there were no hanging branches and the tree scrapped her hands when she tried shimmying up it. So, she decided to shake the tree; but to no avail. Now it would seem the bananas were taunting her by staying just out of her reach.

Her stomach growled in annoyance and she wanted to silence the monster with bananas. Spotting a large stick, rougher than the one she gave Quil, she picked it up thoughtfully. "Hm. Maybe this will work." Smiling, she turned to the tree confidently. "Here I come bananas." Bella lifted the stick high in the air and prodded at the bananas.

A couple of them fell to the ground and she squealed in delight. Knocking down a total of five, she dropped the stick and gathered up the bananas before returning to where Quil was resting on the beach.

"I'm back." she told him, sitting down beside Quil and showing him the bananas. "I hope you like bananas."

Quil smiled at her, and then with Bella's help, he was in a good sitting position. "I like bananas." he told her, before reaching out and taking one.

"That's good. It was the first source of food I was able to come across." Bella peeled back her own banana and began chowing down. Her stomach rumbled in appreciation and they sat in a content silent.

After their breakfast of bananas, they saved the rest for later. The bananas had barely made a dent in their hunger, but at least the growling stomachs had been silenced.

"I don't suppose you can go back in the woods and find a water bottle tree?" Quil suggested jokingly.

Bella laughed lightly. "I wish. But," she looked at the palm trees filled with coconuts. "I guess we can drink coconut milk. I hear it's similar to water."

Quil watched her go, sitting back idly. Not that he could help, even if he wanted to.

Bella made her way over to one of the palm trees a few feet away from Quil and looked up at the numerous coconuts. "Okay, if I give it a little shake." Bella tired shaking the tree that was actually harder to do than she realized.

Quil was watching her from his spot on the sand and snickered. "See what I mean? Girls aren't strong enough to do anything."

Bella glared at Quil. "Quil," she began breathlessly; still trying to shake the tree with all of her strength. "I'm not trying to be mean, but with your leg being out of commission, I don't think you can talk about girls being weak."

Quil stuck out his tongue juvenilely and Bella rolled her eyes. "And how old are we again?" she asked, giving the tree an extra hard shake.

The shaking did the trick, it began raining coconuts. Unfortunately for Bella though, she was standing too close and a coconut dropped on her head, rendering her unconscious.

**A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! As a 'treat' I posted today. =^w^= Btw, I've never seen Lost before, and I hear this story is similar? That's cool. :3 I was challenged by my friend to not put a single curse word in this story. So where curse words would usually be, instead there will be something else. (Hopefully something witty and humorous. Idk, you're the judge after all xD ) **


	3. Milieu

Chapter 2

_Milieu [mil-yoo] Surroundings, location, or setting._

"Hey! I think she's waking up!" a female voice spoke.

Bella blinked her eyes blearily and could make out the outline of a human leaning over her.

"So she's okay? That's good. I hear coconuts can kill people." Quil's voice stated matter of factly.

"Oh shut up Quil." Bella groaned, reaching up to tenderly touch the sore spot in the top of her head where the coconut had struck her. "My head."

"Now maybe you understand a fraction of my pain." Quil grumbled, eating another banana.

Bella sat up, ignoring the injured boy. Her vision swam briefly, but she blinked it clear and realized she was staring into the face of Angela; one of her best friends. "Angela! You're okay." Bella smiled and the two girls embraced briefly.

Bella pulled away first, happy her friend had survived the boating accident. Granted, she didn't look okay. Angela's hair was as disheveled as Bella's and there was a long rip through the girl's white capris. Her red shirt faired the least damage as it was only dirty from ocean water and sand. But Angela had on flip flops. Something Bella wished she herself could have on her shoeless feet.

"So how did you get to the island?" Bella asked, accepting the outstretched hand and rising to her feet.

Angela looked out at the vast ocean glittering in the sunlight. "When the boat hit the iceberg, I was knocked from it immediately. I fell in the ocean, but I got caught up in the giant wave and nearly lost a leg," Angela paused, glancing down at Quil. "Which is why there's a rip here." She patted her leg. "But after drifting on the sea for a while half in and half out of consciousness, I ended up on this island."

"So where did you sleep?" Bella asked.

Angela pointed to a spot over another hill on the beach. "Over there. I was getting started on working on a camp when I heard a noise over here." Angela shot Quil an annoyed look which was out of character for her. She was usually very passive. "He," she stooped down and flicked him on the forehead. "Was laughing at your coconut injury."

Bella rolled her eyes as Quil shrugged. "It was funny." He defended. "One minute she's all "Blah blah blah. The next, Wham!" he clapped his hands together. "Out cold from a coconut." The girls scowled and he laughed lightly. "Although I truly am happy you are okay." For a moment, Quil's sincerity rang true and Bella's mild annoyance dissipated. Then he opened his mouth. "Cuz if you were gone, what was I going to do? I would've died on my own out here."

"You are so self-centered." Angela snorted, running a hand through her scraggly hair and frowning when her fingers got tangled.

"No. I'm self-_preserving_. There's a difference."

Bella looked down at the last banana. "I brought back five, what have you been doing, eating them while I was out?"

Quil looked away sheepishly. "I was hungry with concern!" he fortified.

"Greedy boy. At least give Angela the last one. I'll go back to the tree and get some more."

Quil, albeit reluctantly, handed Angela the last banana. "Thanks." Angela accepted the banana graciously. "I haven't eaten since the on the boat." Her stomach grumbled as if to reinforce this fact. Peeling back the banana, Angela took a bite and smiled.

Bella grinned at her friend's happy expression. "Okay, you stay here with Quil. Protect him from any crabs. I'll go get more bananas."

Bella began walking towards the forest and just before she entered the shaded area, she heard Angela ask Quil "Crabs? You're scared of crabs?"

Laughing to herself, she continued walking and soon came across the banana tree from before. Picking up the stick she'd left by the tree, she began hitting the bananas, knocking down more. Gathering up an armful, she dropped the stick once more and began walking back.

"No. Purple socks went best with the yellow hat." Quil argued, propping up on his elbows.

Angela shook her head. "You are so weird."

"What are you guys even talking about?" Bella asked, dropping the bananas down on the sand next to Quil.

"I'm not even sure." Angela admitted. "But now that you're back, you want to help me move Quil over to my campsite?"

"Oh right. You did say you were making a shelter."

The girls looked at Quil then flexed their weak muscles. "This is going to be a workout." Angela murmured, assessing how to actually carry Quil over the hill that now seemed very steep.

"But we can do this." Bella affirmed, walking over to Quil. "I'm thinking since there is only two of us, we should act as crutches to him. Since his foot is the way it is."

Quil snorted at this. "You can say it's broken. I'm won't be offended."

Bella flushed lightly from embarrassment. "Okay. Well, since your foot is _broken_, it's going to hurt when we move you."

Quil blanched. "Maybe we should just stay here?" he suggested.

Angela shook her head. "Do you know how far along I was with my shelter? I can't move it here."

Bella stood behind Quil and squatted down beside him. "We'll try to make this as painless as possible, so be brave okay?" she told him softly, trying to quell his fears.

"I am brave!" he returned, face setting into an arrogant sneer.

Bella knew it was fear talking, so she ignored him.

Wrapping his left arm around her shoulder, Angela wrapped his right arm around her own and the girls rose slowly to their feet, lifting Quil.

A startled gasp left his lips and he squeezed his eyes shut when until the girls were vertical again. Wheezing, he gritted his teeth so as not to moan from the pain flaring in his foot.

"Okay. The hard part is over." Bella said, trying to keep her breathing steady, even though the extra weight of Quil was tiring her out rapidly.

The girls began walking in the direction of the hill and made sure to walk slowly, jostling Quil's foot as little as possible. Halfway to the rocky hill, Bella glanced at Quil to see how he was fairing and found his face blotchy with exertion and sweat forming above his brow. He was clenching his teeth and his breathing was shallow.

"Hang in there Quil." She encouraged lightly.

Quil gave a curt nod and made sure to keep his broken foot from dragging across the ground.

They began ascending the hill and Angela began shaking from Quil's weight. "Bella, I don't think I can do this." She told her friend sadly.

They continued walking slowly and Bella looked over at her friend. "Yes you can. We can't stop now. It'll only be harder if we rest. We need to hurry over this hill."

Angela looked at the progress they had made. They'd walked at least 20 yards. That was actually an impressive feat since they were loaded down with Quil.

"Okay. I can do this." Angela tried repressing her shakes and using as much of her energy as she could, to help Bella with Quil up the hill.

Making it to the top, fifteen minutes later, all three of them were gasping for air.

"There…it is….down…below." Angela wheezed, clutching her chest with her free hand.

Bella and Quil looked down below at the makeshift camp Angela had been working on. It actually looked pretty good. Angel and strung together a few large branches with vines, to form a small hut like enclosure, big enough to house a few people. It vaguely reminded Bella of a soccer goal, except there was no net. A few large leaves were slung over the top for shade but it wasn't complete.

"Wow Angela…that's really…good." Bella complemented, then looked down at the descending hill. "Almost there." She murmured happily.

Quil managed to catch his breath from the small stand-up break they were taking at the top of the hill. "Wow Angela. For a girl, you sure have good camping abilities."

Angela smiled at the praise, ignoring the sexist part. "Thanks. Now all we have to do is go down this hill and we can set Quil down."

Bella smiled at this and wiped her free hand against her sweaty forehead. "Let's do this."

Fifteen minutes later, they had finally reached the makeshift campsite and collapsed to the ground. Well, Angela collapsed to the ground. Bella lowered Quil down gently before flopping down herself.

"That was an ordeal I don't ever want to go through again." Angela muttered into the sand.

"Same here." Bella responded after a few minutes. "Oh no." Bella closed her eyes and sighed. "I forgot the bananas."

Angela sat up slowly. "Want me to go back with you and get them?"

Bella sighed, shaking her head. "No. I'll be fine. I'll get them in a minute, I just want to rest for a second."

Angela did not prod Bella, they all needed a break.

Quil began snoring and Bella laughed lightly at how easily the boy had gone to sleep. Although, on further inspection, Angela had also fallen asleep also.

Rising from the sand, she stretched and shook off all the aches in her body. "I'll be right back." She told the sleeping pair.

Walking towards the rocky hill, she climbed it quickly and looked down below once she was at the top. A tall scraggly boy was hovering over the bananas she'd left on the ground. From the distance, she could tell that the boy worked out and kept his dark hair short. He was shirtless, baring his toned chest to the island and its inhabitants. He was wearing torn black shorts and similar to Bella, he was shoeless.

It took Bella a moment to place the name, but when she did, she scowled. Felix. The boy could be really rude and vulgar at times. It didn't help that he was so large it instilled fear into most people around him.

Sighing, Bella ran down the hill and called out to him. "Felix!" she yelled, causing the boy to whip around, startled. She walked to his side and was surprised when he charged at her and tackled her to the ground.

"Do you have any food?" he growled, pinning her to the ground.

Alarmed, Bella's eyes widened into saucers. "Get off of me!" she half-yelled, trying not show him her fear.

Felix looked down at her disheveled appearance and smirked. "Even in dirty clothes, you still look hot."

Flustered, Bella began wiggling out from under him. "You are such a creep!" she pushed him, and he laughed, rolling away from her.

They both stood up and Bella pointed to the bananas. "You ask me for food when you see my pile of bananas right there?"

Felix's nose crinkled at the sight of the yellow fruit. "I hate bananas. Do you have anything else?"

"No." Bella leaned down over the bananas and began scooping them up into her arms.

A wolf whistle behind her, caused her to freeze. "Yeah, that's right. Pick up those bananas nice and slowly."

Bella dropped the bananas as if they had burned her and whipped around to find Felix's lowered eyes, rise to her own. "You are disgusting!" she spat, annoyance settling across her face.

Felix merely shrugged and smirked at her. Before he could say anything, a voice called out to Bella from atop the hill. "Hey! Need help with the bananas?"

Felix sulked when he saw Angela heading their way. "So we aren't alone huh? What a shame."

Bella felt a cold shudder overcome her body. She made a mental note to never go anywhere alone with Felix. He was _definitely_ not safe to be around.

Angela hurried to where they were and was surprised to see Felix. "So you survived the accident too?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah." Felix responded curtly.

"I wonder how many more of us are out there." She mused aloud.

Felix shrugged and nodded towards over the hill were Angela came from. "How many of you are over there?"

"It's just us and Quil." Angela responded while Bella quickly gathered up the bananas before Felix could notice and stare at her in that creepy manner again.

Angela took half the load and they began heading back to campsite. The whole walk back, Bella could feel Felix's eyes on her backside and she subconsciously wished that Jacob were here.

**A/N: Hey look! Two more survivors! That makes a total of four! Who will next appear in the story? I guess you'll have to stick around to find out! :D (Orginally there was only going to be one new survivor this chapter, but I threw in Felix for fun :3 )**


	4. Rebarbative

Chapter 3

_Rebarbative [ree-bahr-buh-tiv]- Causing annoyance, irritation, or aversion; repellent_

The trio returned to where Quil was resting and Angela was setting up camp. "Who put this piece of sludge together?" Felix asked, completely unimpressed by the small hut like area.

"It's not sludge!" Bella defended vehemently. "You think you can string together something better?"  
>Felix sidled up to Bella and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I didn't mean to offend you." He cooed in her ear. "It's just the hut looks scanty."<p>

Bella shrugged off Felix's arm and stood by Angela who was unaffected by the insults. She knew the hut wasn't that great, but it was better than nothing. "Well if you think you can do better, by all means, go right ahead!" Bella retorted.

Felix looked at the hut and shrugged. "Fine. But get me some sticks and stuff."

Bella looked at Angela. "Where did you get the things needed to build this?" Bella gestured to the hut like shelter.

Angela nodded towards the forest. "There are plenty of branches and vines in there. I was able to make this in fifteen minutes."

Felix snorted and eyed the enclosure distastefully. "I'll wait here with him." Felix kicked sand at Quil who was still asleep.

"Whatever." Bella grumbled, linking arms with Angela and heading into the coppice.

They didn't need to travel far, branches and vines were literally everywhere. They silently gathered as many as they could carry, then carried them back to the area Felix. No words were exchanged when they dumped the branches and vines on the ground. Felix looked like he wanted to say something snarky, but they turned their backs on him after leaving him with the items he would need to make the shelter. This went on for all of an hour. By the end of the hour, the girls felt that Felix had enough and since he was already working on fixing up the shelter, they decided to go and look around the island for anymore survivors and food.

Deciding to stick to the beach, they walked around the perimeter for a while, having the hot sun above beating down on their heads. This wasn't preferable so eventually when they found no one on the shore, they walked back into the cool recluse of the trees.

"I was making a shelter to shield myself and a couple others from the harsh environment." Angela spoke suddenly.

Bella looked over at her and smiled. "I know. And there really was nothing wrong with it."

Angela looked around the dense forest. "But it was only going to be temporary. I didn't plan for it to last forever ya know?"

Bella's brow furrowed at this. "Well it's not like we're going to be stuck on this island forever."

Angela glanced over at Bella. "I know. But I have this weird feeling that we're not going to be rescued as quickly as we assume."

"Don't say that. At best, I think we'll only be here for a week. It's only day one. Don't give up hope yet."

Angela sighed. She wasn't usually a pessimist. It was just something that was nagging at her. "I hope so."

They continued walking when a scream to their right had them freezing in place.

"You heard that too right?" Angela asked after a moment.

"Who didn't?" Bella replied, just as another scream sounded. It sounded familiar and both girls exchanged glances before running off towards where the scream sounded.

They entered a very small clearing and found Jessica and a monkey in a battle over a banana. Jessica was wearing a badly torn blue shirt that looked like she got in a fight with a sticker bush and lost. While her used to be name brand jeans looked as though they'd been through a shredder. Obviously her trip to the island had been rougher than Bella and Angela's trip. But what threw off Jessica's appearance was her hair. While the rest of her appearance was slovenly, her hair looked like she had stepped out of the beauty shop. Similar to Bella though, Jessica was barefoot.

"Get away you stupid flustering monkey! That's my banana! Ha!" Jessica stole the banana from the angry monkey that flung rocks at her. "Ow!" she screamed, dropping the banana and having the monkey steal it before dashing away into the trees. "NO!" she screamed, beginning to chase after it.

"Why are you so adamant on getting that banana?" Angela asked, causing Jessica to whip around, face feral. Upon seeing the girls, her scowl fell into a smile and she rushed over to where they were standing.

Surprising them, Jessica group hugged them and pulled away with tear filled eyes. "Thank goodness I found you! I thought I was all alone on this freaking scanty island!" her face flushed with repulsion at the thought.

"Well, you aren't." Angela told her, calming the girl's fear.

Jessica sighed in appreciation. "That's great. So how many others are there? Is the whole class saved? Where is Mr. B? I want to complain to him? Is the boat to rescue us here yet? Or do you think we'll be saved by a plane? Where-

"Jessica!" Bella interrupted, massaging her temples from Jessica's incessant questions. "There isn't many of us." Bella told her.

"Oh. Who is with you now?" she asked, seeming to calm down.

Angela answered for Bella. "Just Quil and Felix."

Silence reigned and Jessica's stomach growled loudly. She clutched it and looked at the girls hopefully. "So have you found food?"

Bella nodded slowly. "Sorta. We found a banana tree, similar to the one here." Bella gestured to the banana tree from which it probably took Jessica hours just to get a banana.

As if she could read Bella's mind, Jessica spoke. "Do you know how hard it was for me to get that banana? I had to throw rocks and only one fell down because I scaled that tree," Jessica pointed to an adjacent tree. "Then jumped off and managed to snag a banana!" Jessica pointed to her left foot. "Almost sprained it."

"Well it's good you didn't, we already have one invalid. We don't need another." Bella grumbled.

"What? Who?"

"Quil." Bella responded, then walked over to the banana tree and picked up a large stick that was similar to the one she left at the other banana tree.

"He's hurt? Ohemgee!" Bella ignored Jessica's squealing voice of shock, and knocked down a couple of bananas. Jessica was immediately at her side, picking up the fallen bananas. "Oh thanks Bella! I don't know why I didn't think of that!"

Peeling one of the bananas, she stuffed half of it into her mouth and chewed it ravenously. "Oh thish ish so guud!"

"Okay. So if you would just follow us, we'll take you back to the others." Angela told her after Jessica finished the banana and got started on her second one.

"Okay!"

Bella led the way back and when they arrived, jaws dropped at the shelter Felix was working on. It resembled a hut in structure except it was barely the height of a person. If a roof was ever made, one would have to duck when inside. Since Felix wasn't finished, it was hardly complete. But one wall was up and he was working on the next one.

"How big do you plan to make it?" Bella asked out of curiosity.

Felix looked up from his position in tying another piece of wood together along the wall. "I don't know. But I'm thinking of making two. One for the guys that show up. And one for the girls."

"I'm surprised you don't want us all bunking in one." Bella snorted.

"He did!" Quil told her. He was currently propped up against the shelter Angela had made. "But I told him that you girls wouldn't want a perv like him sleeping in your vicinity."

"Got that right." Bella muttered.

Felix rolled his eyes and looked at Jessica. "Picked up a straggler I see." He waggled his eyebrows at Jessica and she blushed lightly.

"Hey Jessica!" Quil greeted, noticing the girl for the first time.

"Hey." Jessica waved at Quil then refocused her attention on Felix who was fanning his shirtless body.

"Am I the only one enjoying the show?" Jessica whispered to the girls.

Bella sighed and Angela simpered quietly. "He's not really my type." Angela told the girl before walking over to make sure Quil was alright.

"Well he sure is my type."

Bella looked from Jessica to Felix. Not for the first time, she wished Jacob were here. Felix was already going to be a handful, but with Jessica being…Jessica, she could already feel the headache starting.

"Why don't you stay here and help Felix." Bella suggested, backing away from the group and heading for the forest.

"Where are you going?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Food and pick up more stragglers if I come across anyone else." Bella responded before turning her back on the people. So far she'd found Quil, Angela, Felix and now Jessica. Her hopes were high that Jacob had also survived and as she headed into the forest, she prayed that Jacob would be next on the list of survivors. The thought of him not surviving never even crossed her mind.

**A/N: Lol Felix: "Who put this piece of sludge together?" No cursing Felix, good boy Felix ^^ A very important (and long awaited by some) character will be appearing next chapter. I bet you can't guess who ;D This chapter was too passive. I'm gonna make something crazy happen next time xD (I mean after all, I have to keep ya'll enthralled :D )**


	5. Vapid

Chapter 4

_Vapid- [vap-id] Lacking or having lost life; insipid; flat, without liveliness or spirit._

Bella stumbled over some fallen leaves and vines. Catching herself on a tree, she managed to prevent herself from face planting into the harsh ground. "This place is hazardous to my ungainly self." She grumbled after tripping over another tree root. The farther she walked into the dense forest, the more nature tried to latch onto Bella and cause her bodily harm. What was making it worse was the fact that after a particularly nasty fall, she'd gotten turned around and was now lost.

"Okay. I must remain calm." Bella murmured to herself, picking herself up off the ground and groaning when dark sludge covered her legs. "Oh that's nasty." She sniffed it delicately, hoping against hope it wasn't what she thought it was. Luckily, her hopes were answered and it truly just seemed to be mud. Nothing more, nothing less.

Shuffling her dirtied body through the forest, she hoped she was getting closer to shore and not deeper into the island. After all, none of them knew the land or how big the island was. The only comfort for her was that the trees were so thick it blotted out most of the sun, aside from a few beams of sunlight filtering in various spots that helped light her way through the thicket.

Hearing the sound of a shrieking animal high up in the trees, Bella shivered nervously and began walking faster. She'd all but forgotten she was supposed to be looking for food and other survivors. Stumbling upon a suspicious berry bush bursting with colorful bright green berries, Bella picked a few and stuffed them in her side pockets.

"Stop struggling! You're going to fall!" an apprehensive voice yelled. The sound of snapping branches and leaves crinkling suddenly filled the air and Bella's attention whipped to the right where the noise was emitting.

"Dude! Do you _want _to _die_? Stop moving! I'm trying to save you!"

Bella recognized the voice as Jacob's and her heart lurched for some strange reason. Jacob, was just through the tree's. He was alright and soon they would be reunited and everything would be just fine because she'd found him. She'd found Jacob!

Her legs took off before her mind could register what was going on. Already her body was making a wild dash for the area, the spot, the _location_, that Jacob was currently in a fierce word battle with another in.

Pushing her way through thick brush, she scrapped her knees and ignored the dull pain as her bare feet guided her to what appeared to be the edge of the island where she could finally see him. Just up ahead she caught sight of his disheveled long dark hair littered with branches and leaves from the canopy all around them. In fact, as she grew closer and closer, she saw that a few locks of his hair was caught in the shrubbery. Planning to help him out, she didn't notice the situation before her.

"Leave me alone Jacob." A morbid voice ordered, then a shuffling noise ensued and Jacob was screaming at the voice beholder once more.

"Don't jump Austin! You don't know if Katie really didn't survive or not!"

Austin chuckled bitterly. "Yes I do Jacob."

"How?" Jacob asked, trying to untangle his hair from the bushes and get to Austin who was less than four feet away.

A single tear glided down Austin's cheek and his body began to quiver lightly. "After I jumped off the boat, the waves were so bad I almost couldn't reach her."

"See," Jacob began, cringing when a few strings of his hair were pulled out by the bush. "She's probably on this island-

"No, she ISN'T!" Austin shouted, throwing a glare Jacob's way. "When I finally swam in the area she had been in, I found her thrashing around in the water, head barely above the surface!"

Jacob froze, he had a feeling where this story was going. But he hoped against hope that the outcome would be different.

"I tried to get to her but the waves were just impossible!" Another tear forced its way out of Austin's eye and he closed them, clenching his fists by his side. "She called out to me." Austin whispered quietly. "She kept calling my name and begging me to save her." Austin's face scrunched up with pain at the memory. "I couldn't reach her! I tried Jacob, I really tried! Why couldn't I reach her?" Austin turned his furious eyes onto Jacob who was in a state of shock. Of course Austin wasn't looking for a response so he continued with his recap. "We were too close to the boat. When it hit the glacier she was buried and the last thing I heard from her was my name." Austin's clenched fists relaxed and he wiped the tears from his face. "I was pushed away from her by the waves and her body sank into the ocean. Katie is dead Jacob and it's all my fault." Austin took a step forward and Jacob was screaming at him again.

"No it isn't Austin! You can't blame yourself for a freak accident like that! If you want to blame anyone, blame Mother Nature for creating a storm yesterday that caused so much destruction to our field trip!"

Austin shook his head sadly. "I can't because I know it's my fault!"

"How Austin? HOW?"

Austin looked down at his feet despondently. "I lied. I let her die!"

"NO YOU DIDN'T AUSTIN!"

"YES I DID!" Austin screamed back. "There was a moment, for a brief _moment_ I was close enough to grab her and at least attempt to help her but…" Austin's voice trailed off and Jacob managed to get most of his hair untangled.

"What?" Jacob asked, curiosity winning out and he broke the silence.

"I saw the boat." Austin said, voice growing thick with emotion. "My instincts were to immediately retreat and by doing that I condemned her to die!"

Jacob gaped at Austin. "If you hadn't done that, you would've died too! You can't blame yourself for that Austin."

"My fault." Austin repeated, Jacob's words falling on deaf ears. "It doesn't matter if I would've died too! At least I would've tried! I loved her Jacob!"

"I know. Austin, do you really think she would want you to kill yourself too though?"

This caused Austin to pause and Jacob grew excited, hoping to talk the boy off the ledge. "I don't know." Austin told him calmly. "I'll ask her when I see her." And before Jacob to react, Austin jumped and disappeared from view.

Bella's eyes grew wide with disbelief, and she stumbled through the last of the brush to find out where Austin had vanished.

"No Bella!"

Jacob tackled Bella, causing the pair to fall back into the brush and recieve a few extra scrapes. "Jacob, what are you doing?" Bella asked in bewilderment, the boy collapsing ontop of her body.

"You would've fallen too." He told her, lifting up and peering behind him at the edge that could've been the death of her.

Bella paled when she saw the cliff, not having noticed it before. "Austin!" she squealed, crawling out from under Jacob and peering over the edge. Making it halfway, Jacob moved swiftly and covered her eyes before she could look below.

"No Bella. I don't think you want to look below." Jacob whispered, keeping her eyes covered and steering her crouched body away from the edge.

Once she was away from the dangerous cliff, Jacob uncovered her eyes and she looked up at him sadly. "He's gone isn't he?"

Jacob nodded sadly. "Yeah, he is. There were sharp rocks below and it's a long fall." Bella winced at the thought and felt two strong arms wrap around her protectively. "I'm so happy you're okay though." He whispered in her ear, causing strange shivers to overcome her body.

"Me too Jake. I've been so worried about you." Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and started when she felt something warm and sticky cover her hand. Pulling back, a dark red substance stained her hand and she looked up at Jacob in horror. "You're bleeding!"

Jacob looked at her hand and sighed, fisting through the back of his head and bringing his hand to his face to see the blood that had pooled there. "Oh, I guess I am." He laughed it off and Bella's eyes narrowed at him.

"This isn't funny!"

Jacob calmed her with a quick kiss to her grimy forehead. Blushing heavily, he rested his own dirty forehead against her own. "It must've happened when I dove after you to stop you from falling off the cliff too. My hair was caught in the bush."

"Oh." Bella wondered idly why her heartbeat had picked up as if she were running a marathon. After a couple moments of slience, Bella remembered the group she'd left on the beach. "Well, we need to get back to the others."

"Others?"

"Yes. A few of us found each other and we're making a camp on the beach."

"Really? Who survived so far?"

Bella counted off the list of names on her hand. "Well let's see. We have Quil, Angela, Felix and Jessica so far."

"That's great!" Jacob exclaimed. "I hope the others are doing okay too. And if we find Mr. B, then I'm sure we'll be rescued that much faster!" A grin exploded on Jacob's face and it was so infectious Bella found herself mirroring the boy.

The smile disappeared almost immediately after, when Jacob remembered Austin. "I feel responsible though. If I hadn't tripped over the growth and gotten tossed around in that bush, I could've stopped him from jumping."

Bella slapped Jacob lightly across his face. "Don't you _dare _blame yourself. Austin was troubled and if you had saved him today, he would've killed himself tomorrow!" Jacob sighed, hearing the truth in Bella's words. "Let's push him from our minds. Right now we need to find the beach and meet back up with the others."

As they began walking through the forest again, Bella felt the ground slope downwards and she had to walk carefully. "I didn't even notice that this island was so hilly when I was walking around earlier." She mused aloud.

Jacob chuckled when he caught Bella from face-planting into the ground. "well you're still as clumsy as ever." He teased.

Bella 'hmphed' and continued walking forward.

After a while of walking, the pair began to tire and wonder if they would ever make it out of the forest. Stomachs growled loudly and Bella decided to distract them from their hunger by asking Jacob how he survived the shipwreck.

"Well, after I landed in the water, I looked for you and swam around frantically for maybe an hour. But I couldn't find you and by this time the storm had the waves moving me towards this island. So when I reached the island, I searched for you and hoped you were okay. I didn't find you, obviously, so I fell asleep in the forest. When I woke up today I looked around the island for anyone and I got lost and ended up walking around in circles. Bella, let me tell you, this island is HUGE. Don't get lost." He laughed, momentarily pausing his story. "Well, after a few hours I heard someone sobbing and I called out to them. It turned out be Austin and he was so distraught that he didn't hear me. So I tried again and he took off running. So I ran after him, unsure what was wrong with him. He eventually stopped when he reached the cliff and I ended up tripping and tangling myself in that darn bush. If my hair wasn't so long I would've been able to get untangled faster but as is, I was stuck. I'm, guessing you came in sometime around my talk with Austin? I didn't notice you until I saw you trying to go over the cliff with Austin and I was not letting that happen so yeah. That's my story."

Bella let Jacob's story sink into her brain. She was just so very happy he was okay, but her happiness was clouded over by the fact that she had just witnessed a classmate commit suicide. She briefly recapped her own story of how she had made it to the island but omitted the awkwardness of Felix and her slight fears of the boy. By the time she had finished telling him of how she had survived, they had stumbled across the banana tree Bella seemed to always find. The stick from earlier was even resting against the tree right where she had left it.

"Oh! I know where we are!" she smiled happily and picked up the stick, knocking a few bananas down. Passing a couple to Jacob, they feasted briefly and she linked arms with him before leading the way to the beach were the others awaited her.

**A/N: OMFG I saw Breaking Dawn yesterday and…*squeals* It truly is the best Twilight so far! :D Since I'm sure not all of you have seen it, I won't spoil it. BUT! Let me just say, it was VERY emotional! Oh! And Seth was soooo adorable! ^^**

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May your tummy's be filled with freakin' delicious food! :D**

**P.S: I was going for emotion in this. Did ya feel anything when you read this? **


	6. Rapacious

Chapter 5

_Rapacious- [ruh-pey-shuhs] Given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed; inordinately greedy._

"So we ended up breaking up and now I'm single." Jessica said, a little too loudly to Angela.

"I don't remember asking." Angela murmured quietly, before passing the ever shirtless Felix another vine to tie the hut together.

He didn't thank her, but looked up in her direction and gave her a cocky half a smile. "Oh look, another straggler has been found." A sarcastic infliction came with his tone and Bella chose to ignore it as she walked up to the group with Jacob by her side.

"Jacob! You're okay!" Angela jogged over to where he was standing next to Bella, and gave him a big hug. "I see you're as disheveled as we all are." She looked him up and down and noticed the various scrapes and cuts all over his body. "Or maybe you're a little more. What happened?"

Jacob exchanged a quick glance with Bella and in that brief second a conversation transpired.

Bella: I don't think we should tell them about Austin.

Jacob: You sure?

Bella: Yes. It'll be very distressing and I don't think they can handle it right now.

Jacob: Hm. You might be right; it might put everyone on edge.

Bella: I couldn't agree more.

Jacob: What about Katie?

Bella: For now, Austin and Katie are still lost at sea.

Jacob: Okay.

Sighing, Jacob smiled ruefully at Angela. "We all thought Bella was the clumsy one of the group. I think I might have her beat." He scratched his head and winced when he scraped against the wound. Hiding his now bloody hand behind his back, he released a light laugh. "I tripped _a lot _while making my way through that confusing forest. I have a piece of advice for you." Jacob leaned in close to Angela's ear. "Don't get lost."

Angela laughed and shoved Jacob away playfully. "I wasn't planning on it."

"Whoa!" Bella's eyes widened at the sight before her. During her absence, Felix had been working diligently on building the hut. From the look of Anglea's calloused hands, she'd been helping as well. The hut had two of its walls up and was starting to resemble a bloated outhouse, minus a ceiling of course. The only problem Bella was having with it was how fragile it looked.

"Well you are doing a great job!" Bella complemented. Felix puffed up with pride.

"I know. Angela helped though. So if anything is wrong with it, just know it was her fault." Felix threw a smile at Angela who ignored him.

"It's sturdy though." Angela demonstrated by leaning against it with her body weight. "We sorta dug around in the sand so that it could be weighted down even if it's just a little bit."

"I don't see why we need to make it so sturdy." Felix grunted, tying more vines to the branches. "I mean it's not like we're going to be here for long."

Jessica stood beside Felix. "I must agree with Felix." She batted her eyelashes up at him and he grinned. "Wherever Mr. B is, he's rounding up people to rescue us as we speak."

"Not to be a negative Nancy," Quil paused. "Well, I'm a boy so I guess a negative Ned."

"Get on with it boy." Jessica snapped.

"Oh right. Well, not to be a negative Ned, but Mr. B was also on the boat when it crashed. He's most likely as lost as we are."

"Why would you say something as terrible as that?" Jessica asked, scowling down at the injured boy. "It's like you're telling us that we're never going to be saved!"

"No wait!" Bella came to Quil's defense. "He has a point there."

"And what would that be?" Jessica retorted.

"We were _all _shipwrecked. _Including_ Mr. B and the Captain of our ship. I think that if Mr. B is okay-

"What do you mean 'if'?" Jessica asked shrilly. "You're already declaring him dead?"

"That isn't what Bella said." Jacob sighed, subconsciously sliding an around her shoulder. "Right now we don't even know if everyone is okay. There's barely a handful of us. For all we know we're the only ones to survive."

"On another note," Angela spoke before Jessica could. "We could be the only ones who ended up on this island. All the others could be okay and on some other island nearby."

"You mean, we might be the only one's here?" Jessica repeated dumbly.

"Yes." Angela replied.

A cold shiver ran its way down the girls spines and they each exchanged nervous glances while the boys just looked tired.

"Let's just hope this is all in our heads then." Bella spoke after a while of silence. "I mean, there's still a chance we'll be saved quite possibly today." But even to Bella's ears, her words seemed flat.

Felix went back to fixing up their shelter for the night and Angela walked over to help him. "I guess I'll join them." Jacob told Bella, removing his arm from her shoulder reluctantly before following after Angela.

"Didn't you go out for food?" Jessica asked grumpily.

Bella remembered the green berries she'd found earlier and reached into her pocket to pull them out. She scrunched up her nose in disgust when she felt the stickiness of their juices dirtying her hand. Remembering Jacob tackling her, she realized why the berries were smashed. Pulling out her hand, she revealed to Jessica a greenish mucky hand.

"Ew! What in the name of Britney Spears is that?" Jessica covered her mouth in horror dramatically.

Bella sighed and offered her hand to Jessica. "They were berries but they got smashed in my pocket." She waved her hand in front of Jessica's face teasingly. "Wanna try some?" she asked jokingly.

Jessica surprised her by reaching out and taking most of the goop off of her hand and bringing it to her lips. "I'm starving and as gross as it looks, it smells sweet so I guess I can try it out." Jessica opened her mouth and began to eat the mushy green berries. "Mm! They taste like green apple suckers!" Licking her palm clean, Jessica reached out for the rest of the mess on Bella's hand, but the latter backed away quickly.

"That's nasty! You just licked you're hand and you want to touch me with the same hand? Get away from me!"

Jessica's eyes narrowed and she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh I get it! You don't want to share!"

Bella threw Jessica a 'are you insane' look. "That's not even the problem here."

"I think it is and I'm not going to let you eat all the berries!" Jessica charged at Bella whose first instincts were to run in the opposite direction. Pumping her legs, she ran across the beach away from the girl who she felt had lost her mind. "Get back here!" Jessica yelled after her, following after Bella like cat chasing a mouse.

"Haha! Look at them go!" Quil simpered at the sight.

"She really is crazy." Angela whispered to Jacob.

"I know. Should I help Bella?" Jacob's voice was laced with a tint of worry.

"Nah, Jessica's pretty harmless…" Angela's, and Jacob's for that matter, eyes widened in shock when said girl tackled Bella to the ground.

"Get off of me you starving child from America!" Bella screamed, thrashing around crazily. Jessica ignored her and continued to pin Bella's small body to the ground with the weight of her own body.

"Ha! You can't go anywhere now!" Jessica first grabbed Bella's hand and wiped off the rest of the green berries goop, smearing it against her tongue, then she reached in Bella's pockets and pulled out more of the berry goop. Staining her mouth green, she licked her palm voraciously.

"Can you get off of me now?" Bella's angry voice asked, still thrashing around under the hungry girl. At first, Jessica ignored her, but then she was suddenly lifted up from Bella and hovered above the ground before being set down forcefully.

"Please don't do that again." Jacob turned from a startled Jessica to a fallen Bella. "You okay?" he offered her a hand and she accepted it graciously.

"Thanks Jacob." Bella brushed the sand off of her shirt and gave him a small smile. He ruffled her hair softly before turning and heading back to help Felix with the hut.

"Aw! You broke up the chick fight!" Quil groaned loudly from his spot leaning against a palm tree. "It was just getting good too." Pouting, he crossed his arms and Felix snorted a laugh while Angela rolled her eyes and Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

"Eh, it was getting out of control." Was his simple response.

Jessica turned her exasperated gaze from Quil back to Bella. "Is there any more of those berries left in your pocket?" she asked greedily.

Bella shook her head warily. "No. I think you ate it all."

Jessica frowned, a sigh escaping her lips. "Well that's just my luck, huh?"

Bella shook her head in irritation, then walked over to Angela and helped with the hut. "That was gross." Bella wiped the rest of what was left on her hand, on a tree nearby. "Its weird though." She whispered to her best friend.

"What is?" Angela whispered back.

"Well, the berries. I mean, I know berries can be very poisonous so I was going to only eat one as a test to see if it made me sick or not before I offered them to you guys."

"Oh right. Berries can be dangerous if you don't know what kind they are."

The pair looked over at Jessica who was collecting seashells along the shore. "I guess she is lucky then." Bella mumbled.

Jessica suddenly dropped the seashells she had gathered and clutched her stomach. "Oh my gffft" The berries she had just consumed, were now being hurled into the sea and sand beneath her feet.

Angela covered her mouth as a few giggles were released. "I'm guessing her luck ran out." She told Bella.

A small smile played on Bella's face. Looking down at her stained green hands she said "Mental note: green berries that taste like green apple suckers, do not eat."

**A/N: Hey everybody. Important notice here! I have finals coming up which means I'mma have to a good little college student and study-study-study (I can feel the headache coming on xp ) So I won't be working on the next chapter until after the 16****th**** of this month. BUT I will try very hard to produce a chapter before Christmas. :3 I feel like I'm starving ya'll of a story O.O But never fear, more will come soon!**

**Lol, I was listening to this song on youtube: .com/watch?v=gAYL5H46QnQ&ob=av3e **

**Hi-frikkin-larious! xD**


	7. Obstreperous

Chapter 6

_Obstreperous- [uhb-strep-er-uhs] Resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly, noisy, clamorous, or boisterous_

As the sun began to set, a beautiful orangey-pink hue tinted the sky. The wind settled down from its earlier breeze and seemed to set with the sun. Soon the air became stagnant and chilled. A few crabs nearby nestled into the sand as if retiring for the night too. The hut was almost finished after being worked on all day. The last wall would be completed the following day and the issue of a roof was a question left unspoken as of now.

A rustling noise sounded from a bush nearby, causing Jessica to jump with fright. "Did you hear that?" Jessica squealed, dropping the coconuts she'd been carrying and scurrying over to where Jacob and Angela were creating a campfire. "I think something is out there!" she screamed loudly.

Felix had a vine hanging from his mouth as he knotted in another branch, the final of that side of wall. He removed the vine and scowled down at Jessica. "If there is something out there, it knows where we are because of your big mouth." Letting the vine hang down from the wood, Felix stretched his arms high above his head, oblivious to the mild hurt look from Jessica's face.

Bella had been behind Jessica, carrying her own set of coconuts. She hadn't heard the noise so she was unaffected. Spotting the coconuts Jessica had dropped, she scooped them up then webble-wobbled to where the others were gathered. Jacob and Felix had long since carried Quil to a spot inside the hut so he was no longer separated from the group, leaning against a palm tree. Now he was leaning against the back wall of the hut. "Felix, I have to agree with Jess here." Jessica whipped her head around at Quil when she heard her name. He winked and she almost glowered at the boy. "I'm hearing noises too and I think it's because I'm injured."

Angela's brow knitted together in confusion. "Wait, Quil what are you talking about?"

"Well, I'm injured." Quil responded, turning his attention to Angela while gesturing at his foot.

"I know. But what does that have to do with your hearing?"

Quil gave her an 'are you an idiot' look and explained slowly as if talking to a small child. "Well, if one sense is down, your other senses pick up the slack. Henceforth, I break my foot, and my ears improves."

Silence reigned for a while and Felix broke it with his laughter. "Dude! How stupid are you?" The question was rhetorical, but Quil answered anyway.

"I'm not stupid!" he grumbled defensively. "It's the truth. Since one of my senses are down, the others are heightened."

Felix shook his head, his laughed knocking himself backwards into the sand. "You really are stupid." Felix's laughter finally settled and he explained to Quil the error of his logic. "Quil, your _foot_ isn't a sense. So therefore _breaking_ it won't heighten any of your senses."

Quil looked at Felix quizzically. "Your _foot_ is a _sense_!" he insisted. "You have lots of senses. Like your arms and legs, hands and feet."

"Uh Quil, those are just limbs. I think your confusing limbs for senses. You only have five senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell." Angela explained softly.

Quil scratched his head thoughtfully. "So your foot isn't a sense?"

"No." she replied, fighting back a smile.

Jacob was sitting in front of the small unlit campfire he and Angela had created a couple feet away from the hut. "Quil, this is why we go to school _every day_ and not just when we want to."

Quil snorted dismissively and stared at the unlit campfire. "Jeez, how long is that going to take? It's getting cold!" he complained while changing the subject.

"It's not as easy as it looks." Jacob replied, clicking two rocks together and seeing the sparks fizzle. "It's not like we have a flammable substance. We should've tried earlier when the sun was up. It probably would've been easier." He and Angela continued with their ministrations and the sound of clacking rocks attacked the air.

Bella finally reached the hut and passed everyone a coconut, except Jacob and Angela because they were busy still trying to create that fire. Instead, she set them down next to their legs. "Felix, I think you're doing a really good job with the hut." Bella complemented, looking at the somewhat sturdy walls of the hut. Felix puffed up with pride at the statement. "The only question I have is why did you make the hut face the forest?"

Felix quirked a brow. "What do you mean?"

Bella indicated the missing wall. "Not that I'm overly scared of the forest, but when we go to sleep tonight, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with sleeping in front of the forest. I'm sure there are plenty of wild animals in there and…" Bella trailed to a stop when she saw fear flicker across Jessica's face. "But since we're all together I'm sure it'll be fine." She mumbled, sitting down and trying to crack open her coconut which turned out to be more difficult than she thought.

"Whatever." Felix muttered, slightly confused as to what Bella was trying to tell him earlier.

"Open up!" Jessica growled at the coconut, repeatedly banging it a rock.

Bella rolled the coconut around in her hands until she came across the three eyes. "Hm." She spotted an errant stick lying on the ground next to her, picked it up, and stabbed at one of the eyes on the coconuts. The eye sunk a little into the coconut and a smile crawled onto Bella's face. She stabbed it continuously for a couple minutes and finally the eye gave way and plopped down inside the coconut with a dull splash, creating a small opening.

"We did it!" Jacob enthused, motioning to the small fire eating its way across the wood.

"Good! Now maybe we won't freeze our rears off!" Quil grunted, slamming his coconut against the sand in hopes of opening it.

Jacob ignored Quil and tossed the rocks off to the side. "Oh Jess, be careful handling that coconut like that." Angela warned, watching the girl swing the coconut around wildly.

"IT WON'T OPEN!" she screamed, dropping it to the ground.

Bella sighed, set her opened coconut down and crawled over to where Jessica was sitting. "Hand it here. I'll get it for you." Jessica passed her the coconut grudgingly and pouted. "You going to poison me again?" she asked sarcastically. Bella dropped the coconut and suppressed the anger that flooded through her body.

"I didn't tell you to eat the berries. You did that all on your own." she spoke quietly, making sure to keep the harsh inflictions from her voice. Before Jessica could retort, Bella picked up the coconut and began to furiously beat in one of the eyes. Jessica watched in horror as Bella pummeled the eye until it sunk into the coconut. "Here." She thrust the coconut at Jessica and some of the juices sloshed out and dribbled down the hairy fruit.

Jessica accepted the coconut cautiously and scrunched up her nose in disgust. "I forgot how nasty these things are on the outside." she complained.

"Oh for the love all that is holy- shut up and drink from it already!" Felix snapped, picking up the stick that Bella had dropped and mirroring her previous actions on his own coconut. Jessica shut her mouth quickly, flushing with embarrassment. Felix also managed to create an opening for himself to drink the coconut milk and smirked in success. Bella had to help Quil, while Jacob and Angela opened there's successfully on their own.

"Well, aside from the hair," Angela grimaced, pulling another coconut hair from her mouth. "It's pretty tasty. But I think that's because I already like coconuts." she murmured, indicating Jessica who was having a hard time swallowing the juice.

"Blehck! I really don't see how ya'll are just drinking this like it's good!" she groaned, setting the still full coconut down on the sand.

"Maybe it's because we don't want to be thirsty?" Quil muttered. "Just drink it. At least it's healthy for you. I mean after all, aren't you trying to watch your figure?"

Jessica gaped at the boy. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" She picked up her coconut and threw it at the injured boy, catching him on his broken foot. Quil's scream rang through the air and Jessica jumped up from the sand angrily. "ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT YOU USELESS WASTE OF SPACE?" Quil clenched his eyes shut and reached down to massage his broken foot.

"Jessica! That was uncalled for!" Bella reprimanded, going over to Quil to check that he was okay.

"He shouldn't have called me fat!" Jessica screamed in her ear as she walked by.

Bella winced from the sharp pitch of Jessica's voice and covered the ear protectively. "Do you think you can calm down a little bit? You are going to raise the dead with that loud voice of yours."

"You shut up!" Jessica riposted. "You aren't the boss of me! I can do what I want!" Jessica stomped her foot in a juvenile fashion and Bella wanted to face-palm at how childish the girl was acting.

"Seriously, shut up! You are too loud!" Felix growled at her, causing Jessica to immediately shut her mouth and slink to the ground.

"Sorry about that Felix. I didn't mean to bother you." she murmured apologetically, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Felix shrugged off the touch and finished his coconut milk.

"Whatever. Scoot away from me. I'm turning in and this is my space."

Jessica sighed, but crawled away from him to give him his space. Then it dawned on her. "Wait a second." Everyone aside from Felix and Quil who was still clenching his eyes shut in pain, looked at Jessica. "We're going to sleep on the _sand_?" she asked in horror.

"Well it's not like we have inflatable mattresses!" Felix grunted, turning on his side so that his back was to the others.

"But that's so dirty." Jessica shuddered at the thought.

"We don't have much of a choice Jess." Angela said softly. "So we're just going to have to make do with that for right now."

"But-

"Trust me." Angela interjected. "We're all suffering. It's not just you. But not all of us are going to complain so how about you just, um, toughen up?" Angela debated whether that was the right choice of words and unfortunately it wasn't.

"_TOUGHEN_ _UP_? DID YOU JUST TELL ME TO _TOUGHEN UP_?" Angela sighed and wished she hadn't even spoken. Jessica threw a glare at everyone sitting down in the unfinished hut. Well, excluding Felix. "It's obvious I'm not wanted here." she sniffled pathetically before tromping away into the night.

Everyone sat there in silence for a while, confused as to what was going on. "Finally, she shut up." Felix grumbled, breath evening out as he fell asleep.

"Wow she can be annoying." Jacob muttered, finishing off his coconut and setting it down beside him. "We need to find a way to open these after drinking them. We can eat the fleshy part so that it doesn't go to waste." Jacob's stomach growled and he laughed. "Also we won't be as hungry." he suggested after laughing.

"Hm. That's a good idea." Angela smiled at the boy in the dim light before yawing. "The air sure does get chilly after the sun sets. It's a good thing we got that fire going when we did."

"Yeah." Jacob agreed, throwing another few pieces of wood into the campfire.

Bella set the coconut down from Quil's mouth. She had helped him drink it since his foot had been harassed during Jessica's tirade. He had fallen asleep, or passed out from the pain. She couldn't tell which. Setting the coconut down in front of his face, she hoped he didn't knock it down in the night. That would be a waste. Gently adjusting the boy so he was lying down in a comfortable position, Bella scooted away from him and joined her friends by the fire. "Well, day one of being marooned on this island is over." Bella crossed her fingers. "Here's hoping that tomorrow we're saved." Angela and Jacob smiled and crossed their own fingers.

Angela yawned, and blinked her eyes sleepily. "Well, I'm turning in." she told the pair, crawling away from the fire to sleep more so inside the hut enclosure. Quil was sleeping in the corner and Felix in the other. Angela headed over towards Quil, and made sure to sleep a foot away from him so as not to accidentally hurt his foot if she moved around in her sleep. The sand was soft, so it wasn't as uncomfortable as Angela had originally thought it would be. But, it was bumpy in certain places so she still preferred to sleep in a bed. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep soon after.

"Me too." Bella said to Jacob. "But I'm going to sleep here by the fire. It really is chilly." Bella laid down in front of the fire and watched the crackly flames dance across the charred wood. "So much has happened today." Bella murmured to Jacob.

"Thats for sure." Jacob replied, lying down next to Bella; their bodies practically touching. "Wow, you really are cold." Jacob said, indicating the small tremors emitting from her body. "If you want to, you could sleep against me. I'm very warm."

Bella laughed into the sand, sending a few grains flying towards the campfire. "Thanks." she rolled over into him and his arms slid around her protectively. Sleep began to descend and Bella closed her eyes. "You really are warm." she murmured absently.

"I told you." Jacob whispered into her ear.

Bella shivered again, but this time not from the cold. "Hm. Feels like we're some old married couple." she said softly before sleep finally claimed her and she escaped from reality and entered dream world.

"Maybe one day we can be." Jacob whispered very softly a moment later, leaning over to kiss her cheek gently. "Love you Bella." he closed his own eyes and followed Bella into dream world.

**A/N: Okay, so I was supposed to be a good college student and study for my finals and NOT update right? Well…I guess I'm a bad college student cuz I totally typed when I should be studying xD What can I say? I'm addicted to typing ^o^ But no worries, I'm multitasking *shifty eyes* Anywho, I hoped you like the sorta Jess oriented chapter, with a mild dash of fluff at the end *u***


	8. Timorous

Chapter 7

_Timorous- [tim-er-uhs] Full of fear; fearful_

A yawn escaped from Bella's dry lips and she blinked her eyes open groggily. She wondered why her bed felt so bumpy and where was her blanket? Had she kicked it off again by accident? Who was sleeping in her bed?

Sitting up slowly, she looked around and her eyes went wide with surprise for a few seconds.

Palm trees were swaying softly in the breeze and the sun was peeking at her from what looked to be the edge of the sea. While the sunrise was very beautiful, throwing pink and orange hues onto the horizon, Bella didn't exactly warm up to the idea of being on an island. As her memory of yesterday returned, she glanced down at Jacob who was still fast asleep, hands now resting in her lap. She smiled down at his slackened face and ran a few fingers through his hair, wary of the wound she knew to be back there. The fire had long since fizzled out and the charred remains now stared at her bleakly. Glancing around behind her, she spotted Quil still sleeping like a baby beside Angela who was dead to the world.

But as her eyes roamed over the rest of the hut, she didn't find Felix. Confusion marred her face and she looked around for the lost boy. Not finding him, she stood up slowly and stretched a few bones popped with loud snaps. Slowly stepping around Jacob, the warm sand heated her cold feet and she twinkled her toes in it happily for a moment. Hearing the snapping of branches, her head whipped to the right and she saw Felix stumbling out of the forest. Still shirtless, the boy was adjusting his raged black shorts and she cleared her throat to get his attention. He looked up at her quickly upon hearing the noise and instead of being embarrassed he flashed her that cocky grin of his.

"Well good morning sexy."

Bella glanced down at her dirty as sin clothes and threw Felix a puzzled stare. "Uh, morning." She replied, deciding to ignore his comment. "Where were you just now?"

"Why, little miss nosy?" he stalked forward and Bella pursed her lips at him.

"I was just asking-

"-Aw, were you worried about me?" he interrupted, pausing while passing her. Grabbing her chin, their eyes connected and he made a kissy face at her. "Want a kiss to soothe your feelings?" Bella shook her head free of his hand and took a step back. Felix barked a laugh then proceeded past her. "I went to use the restroom." He finally said, answering her earlier question.

Bella massaged her slightly bruised chin and watched Felix walk over to a coconut tree and acquire him some breakfast. It was moments like that that made her really annoyed with Felix, and also terrified at the same time.

"Well don't just get them for yourself." Bella grumbled, watching Felix knock down only one coconut then sit down in the spot he had previously slept in. While he opened his coconut, Bella walked over to the palm tree and knocked down four more; excluding one for Jessica because she had no idea where the girl had even gone. Returning to her spot by the cold and unlit campfire, Bella sat down and set the coconuts down and Jacob woke suddenly when an errant coconut bumped against his hand.

Jacob sat up slowly, and stretched with a yawn. "Oh, we're still here." Were his first words and Bella laughed softly.

"That we are Jacob."

Her voice caused his eyes to connect with hers and Bella found an unfamiliar feeling welling inside. Shaking her head clear, she broke the eye contact and focused on opening her coconut. Popping in one of the eyes much like yesterday, she created a small opening and drank from the hairy fruit deeply. Her stomach growled in anger at the hunger not being satiated buy the sweet milk. "We're going to have to get more bananas." Bella promulgated to Jacob.

Jacob rested a hand against his stomach as it growled much like Bella's. "I agree." He rose from the ground and offered her a hand. She accepted it and he helped her stand, but didn't release her hand once she was upright. Bella didn't mind and smiled up at his tanned face.

"Felix, we're going to go find some more food. We'll be back soon." Jacob told the boy who had just finished drinking his coconut milk.

Felix set the coconut down beside him and shrugged. "Whatever. Hurry back though cuz I'm starving."

Jacob rolled his eyes and began leading Bella towards the forest. "Maybe you should get started on finishing the hut." Jacob suggested.

A sigh could be heard from the boy and Felix grunted as he jumped to his feet. "Yeah I know." He muttered, walking over to his pile of vines and branches that had depleted a lot since he first started building the scruffy but sturdy hut.

The pair left Felix to his work then entered the coppice. The air was immediately a few degrees cooler and Bella hadn't realized how hot it was out on the beach until she was enveloped in shade.

They headed directly for banana tree a few meters in, and Bella picked up the stick to knock down some bananas. Before the two could pick up more than a single banana, three large monkeys began screaming at them from the trees. Bella jumped in fright and took a nervous step back. Jacob took a half-step in front of for protection and the largest monkey barred its gnarly teeth at them. "Back away slowly." Jacob directed from the side of his mouth.

Bella suppressed her fear and nodded curtly. Raising her foot carefully, she took a half-step backwards and the monkeys glared at her foot. Falling from the trees, Bella's eyes widened in fright and she forgot about slow, and began running away from the monkeys. Jacob followed behind her and the monkeys gave chase. Feet snapping twigs below and kicking dirt in the air, Bella and Jacob ran blindly through the dense coppice, fearing for their lives. Bella took a quick peek behind her to see if the monkeys were still chasing after them and was surprised to see the monkeys had turned around and were snatching up the bananas they had left behind. "Oh, they're gone!" Bella squealed in delight just as she smashed into a tree.

"Bella!" Jacob jumped over a rock and helped her before she fell over backwards. "Are you okay?"

Dazed and confused, Bella felt her forehead and winced. That was definitely going to bruise later. "I'm fine." She finally uttered.

Jacob laughed a sigh. "This is why we look where we run."

Before Bella could defend herself, another scream pierced their ears. Expecting the monkeys, Bella looked around frightfully. "Is that…Jess?" Jacob asked, brow furrowing with confusion.

The scream returned and seemed to get louder. Bella did recognize it as Jessica and wondered what could be happening to the girl to make her scream like that.

Jacob looked at Bella and a silent conversation transpired. Simultaneously they began running towards the screaming girl and skidded to a stop when they found Jessica a few meters away.

Jessica was not alone though; cowering in fear before vicious looking monkey. "Are they rabid? They just keep turning up." Jacob commented and the monkey whipped its hairy brown head in the direction of Jacob. No taller than a fully grown cat standing on its hind legs, the monkey was relatively small. Definitely not part of the primates' family. But what it made up for in size, its claws and teeth. Both were unusually long and sharp. Browned with age, even though it wasn't half their size, the trio was scared out of their mind of the creature.

"Jessica, we'll distract it. Try to run back towards camp when it isn't near you." Bella said, looking down at the single banana she was able to hold onto before the monkeys from before chased them off.

"Okay." Jessica shuddered quietly. "But Lauren and Mike are up in the tree."

Jacob and Bella's eyes traveled up the length or the tree Jessica was cowering under, and were surprised to find Mike and Lauren trembling from fright at the monkey below. "What type of guy are you Mike? Saving yourself while a girl sits there?" Jacob asked aghast. Mike merely paled and swallowed loudly.

The monkey screeched again as if trying to ascertain it's presence to the others.

"Jump down when we throw this banana." Bella told them, and they nodded in comprehension.

Peeling back the banana halfway, Bella waved the fruit in front of the loud monkey. Its attention was captured immediately and Bella hurled it as far away from them as she could. Like a dog to fetch a stick, the monkey ran off in the direction of the banana and the duo jumped down from the tree. "Let's go!" Bella grabbed Jessica's hand and helped her off the ground. Without a second to waste, they all began running towards the direction they hoped the beach to be. Luck was with them for less than five minutes later they found themselves running across hot sand, once again on the beach.

Angela looked up from her place inside the hut. Apparently having just woken up. "Oh, I see you've found more peers." She spoke to Bella.

Felix, vine hanging from his mouth, knotted another branch into the hut. Removing the vine, he glanced at Lauren and Mike. "Great, looks like I'm going to have to build another hut because this one isn't going to be able to house all of us." He grunted in annoyance.

**A/N: Lol, monkeys; how random can I be? I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I will try to update again before Christmas cuz I know that on Christmas and the day after I'mma be busy playing with whatever I get. Much like all of you will be ^_^**


	9. Virago

Chapter 8

_Virago- [vi-rah-goh] A loud-voiced, ill-tempered, scolding woman; shrew._

"I'm so hungry." Lauren grouched, crossing her legs and accidentally kicking up sand. "When are we going to be rescued so I can get some decent food?" Sitting in the opposite corner of Quil, Lauren sat with a look of contempt.

Jacob and Bella exchanged glances and Angela sighed. "We're all hungry." Angela spoke quietly. "Don't worry; you aren't the only one suffering." Angela hoped that by saying this, it would end the girls' complaints. Unfortunately for Angela, and everyone else within earshot, this hope was denied.

"So why isn't someone trying to get food? I'm hungry. Why haven't they found us yet?" Lauren crossed her arms and glared up at the incomplete hut around her.

"We offered you that one banana that was spared from the monkeys. But you didn't want it." Angela murmured.

Lauren narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Bananas are nasty. I want real food! I'm _hungry_!" she reiterated.

Quil set down his coconut and turned his eyes towards Lauren. "Will you shut up?" he asked, irritation saturating his voice. "Like Angela said, we're _all_ hungry and it's not helping with you constantly complaining."

Lauren scoffed in Quil's direction. "No one asked you Mr. Broken-Foot." Juvenilely, she stuck out her tongue at the boy who rolled his eyes in response.

Bella shielded her eyes and glanced up at the sky. The sun had already arched its way into the sky, signaling noon and was beginning it's descend. If she had to guess, she'd assume it was after one o'clock. Not having a watch on hand was very inconvient when one wanted to know the time. Wiping her forehead to clear the sweat that accumulated, Bella noticed the temperature for the first time. The heat wasn't inferno hot, but just hot enough that a light sheen of sweat covered everyone working on the hut. A breeze would waft through the air occasionally, bringing a sweet relief to the marooned students.

Felix had decided to leave the original hut unfinished for now and get started on the second hut. He taught Jacob, Angela and Bella the correct way to use the vines to knot in the branches using a knot he'd learned back when he was a boy scout. When recalling the days of being a boy scout, it derived chuckles from the others for they couldn't picture a boy like Felix to be a boy scout. Jessica and Mike were supposed to be helping with making the new hut, but they kept doing things wrong so it was unanimously decided that the pair would instead travel back and forth from the forest bringing back the wood and vines needed to make their temporary home. Similar to Lauren, Jessica complained while performing her task.

"It's so hot out here." She walked sluggishly over to the others making the first wall of the hut and dumped a few various in size branches down by their feet where a pile was accumulating.

Mike followed, not five feet behind her, and also dropped his load that held just a few more than his female partner. "It really is, and I'm getting tired of walking back and forth."

Bella glanced up from where she was working on her part of the wall. "I know it's hot and I know your tired but—

"Just go collect more wood or you'll be sleeping with the monkeys." Felix interjected while finishing a knot. He didn't even bother to look up. But if he did, he would've found two very disdainful expressions on two very aggravated people.

Tromping away, Mike and Jessica headed back for the woods indolently. Jacob nudged Bella with his elbow to get her attention. "Yes?" she asked while picking up a large branch from the ground.

"Tell me why, again, that Lauren isn't helping us with anything."

Bella sighed and took a quick peek at Lauren who had yet to move from her spot on the sand inside the unfinished hut. "It would be more work to get her to work than to just leave her alone. After all, she said she wasn't going to help because she didn't want to break one of her still-fresh manicured nails." Bella shrugged and passed Jacob a new vine.

A sigh escaped his dry lips and Bella heard a faint growl radiate from his stomach. With the sky still high up in the sky, she finished knotting the branch and looked over at Mike and Jessica approach with more wood and vines. "Since everyone seems to be dying of hunger and we don't have any more bananas, do you two want to go with me to find some food?"

Mike nodded eagerly. "I'd do anything but gathering wood. This is boring." He dropped what he was carrying in the nice sized pile that would keep the others busy for a little while.

Jessica also dropped her smaller load but shook her head at Bella. "No thanks. Those monkeys could still be out there, waiting to…" she shuddered and began walking over to where Lauren was sitting. "I'm taking a break. I'm tired."

Felix scowled at the girl. "You've barely done anything! You're lazier than a sack of potatoes."

Jessica flushed deeply from the insult and shuffled over to Felix. "Oh Felix." She giggled like a schoolgirl and rested her hand on his bare shoulder. "You are a boy, you have much more strength than a weak girl like me." she batted her lashes at him and he shrugged off her hand in annoyance.

"Get away from me you slothful girl. You've been taking too many breaks! Do you see this hut?" Felix gestured to the hut that had one wall almost complete. About six feet long, Jessica's eyes roamed over the homely hut with disregard. "This takes _time_. But do you see me _complaining_ about taking _breaks_, or being _hungry_?" he shot Lauren an angry look before returning to Jessica's momentarily frightened face.

"I-I-I'm sorry if I offended you Felix. I would _never_ do that on purpose." She said sincerely.

"Are you being sarcastic?" He asked incredulously. Before she could respond, he held up his hand in silence. "Get away from me." he growled darkly.

Jessica paled and backed away quickly before slinking down next to Lauren. Their conversation was muted from the distance, but Bella could tell that Jessica was trying very hard not to cry. She almost felt sorry for the girl. While Felix did have a point, he didn't have to be so harsh. Returning to Mike, Bella gave a small smile and pointed towards the woods. "You still going to help me? Or has Jessica's monkey comment scared you?" It was a light tease that Mike returned with a grin.

"Monkeys don't scare me." he lied through his teeth.

Jacob snorted and Mike ignored him. "Let's go. I hope we find something edible."

The pair headed off for the woods and Jacob called out to Bella. "Want me to come with you?"

Bella shook her head and pointed to the hut. "It's okay Jacob. Me and Mike will be okay. Plus Felix needs your help with the hut."

An unfamiliar expression flashed across Jacob's face, but before Bella could analyze it, it was gone and replaced with a smile. "Stay safe Bella." Jacob turned a steely gaze to Mike. "Anything happen to her and you're dead. Man up Mike."

Mike seemed insulted by this statement but the memory of the monkey's and him climbing the tree without helping Jessica flashed through his head. "Whatever."

Bella and Mike set out for the woods and began their search for something to eat. Taking a different route than the one that would lead to the now monkey infested banana tree, they walked over risen tree roots and skirted around bushes fraught with thorns. After twenty minutes of walking and no sign of any type of food, Mike began to lose hope and voice his pessimism to Bella. "I don't think there is any edible food here." He stumbled on a tree root and Bella tried hard not to laugh at how his body flayed everywhere to keep himself upright.

"Mike, this is an island. Islands are known for having a plethora of fruits. The only problem is finding out if they are okay to eat or not." She told him smartly. "Berries are the one you have to be most skeptical about. If you don't know for sure what type it is, you shouldn't eat it because it can be poisonous."

"Mm! These berries taste good!" Mike told her, reaching out to take another crimson colored berry from a bush. He'd walked a few feet away from her while she was talking and had spotted come across the berry bush.

"Mike! Do you even know what kind of berry that is?" Bella hurried over to where the boy was currently gorging on the seedy berries.

"Huh?" he said, mouth hanging open dumbly. His lips now a stained dark reddish color, it almost looked like he'd been playing with lipstick.

She stopped his hand from popping another berry into his mouth. Holding onto his wrist, she brought it to her eyes and looked at the vibrant colored berry in his hand. "You must be a very lucky boy. That's a boysenberry. They're safe to eat and one of the few berries I know by look." She released his wrist and whacked him across the back of his head.

"OW!" he howled in pain, releasing the few berries in his hand in favor of soothing his head. "What did you do that for?"

"Your stupidity will not be tolerated!" she softened her voice and looked at the bush. "We're not at home, Mike. If you get sick, we can't help you." She raised her hand and he flinched. Instead of hitting him like he originally assumed, she pet his head gently. "Who knows how long we'll be here. I'm sure you don't want to be sick during the duration of our unexpected predicament. Right?"

Mike looked up at the hand still petting his head and a very light flush encompassed his cheeks. "You're right." He murmured softly. "Thanks for the heads up."

Bella removed her hand with a wary smile. "No problem." She replied, bemused by the expression adorning the boys' face. "Now stop eating so much. We need to take these back to the others too. You know who I'm talking about; the people who have _actually_ been working." Mike smiled sheepishly at the comment. Looking at the bush, Bella's brow furrowed in thought. "What are we going to carry them back in though?"

Mike looked down at his shirt and an idea struck him. Lifting it up with his hand, Mike bared part of his flabby stomach to the girl. "We can carry them like this." Resembling that of a kangaroo with a pouch, Mike began to load up his makeshift pouch with the berries and Bella did the same with her own shirt. Unbeknownst to her, Mike was stealing glances at her pale stomach.

Bella picked the last berry she could find and dropped it on top of the mountain of berries resting in her shirt now-turned-pouch. Looking up at Mike, she saw his eyes travel up to meet her own and a peculiar expression dawned his face. "Why do you look like your hand was caught in the cookie jar?" Mike chuckled and dropped a few berries. "Hey! Be careful!" Bella warned shaking a berry from her sock ridden feet.

"We should head back now." Mike suggested, turning around to follow the path they had taken. "Wait…which way did we come from?"

Bella let her eyes rove over the path that Mike had clumsily created. "Good thing you kept falling." Bella giggled, indicating the broken branches and trampled bushes. "I think we came from that direction." Leading the way, they followed Mike's unintentionally made path and began their trek back to the beach. It took longer because of their bounty and the fact that they didn't want to lose any of the limited berries due to their rushing to reach the beach. So less forty minutes later, they broke through the last of the trees and came across the beach. Only problem being that the beach was completely void of human life.

"Were they rescued?" Mike asked in shock. "They left without us!"

Bella ignored Mike's outraged comment and looked around the barren beach. "They must be on a different part of the beach." She told him. "I mean, even if they were rescued, I doubt they'd uproot the hut."

"Oh right!" Mike smiled and looked around. "But if that's true, how far away are they?"

Bella shrugged, then realized she found the area a touch familiar. Turning around, she spotted a palm tree a few feet away with shuffle marks under it. Laughing, she pointed to their left. "I think everyone is over that ridge." She told Mike confidently.

"What makes you think that?" he asked skeptically.

"When I first got to the island, I found Quil here and went to get a coconut. Unfortunately the coconut hit me on the head and I passed out." She nodded towards the scuffle marks.

"You were hit by a coconut?" Mike looked ready to explode with laughter, but a glare from Bella silenced him.

"Let's go." She mumbled, leading the way up the hill where once peaked, they could see below and found Bella's assumption to be correct. Felix and Angela were working diligently on the hut, already finished with one wall and halfway complete with the second. Jacob was returning from the wooded area with numerous pieces of wood and Bella was surprised to find Jessica and Lauren following after him, albeit grudgingly. Quil was still sitting in the unfinished hut and he looked bored, to say the least. Descending the hill carefully, the pair made their way back to the others as quickly as they could. Quil was the first to notice them as they quietly made their way to the unlit campfire.

"They have returned." He announced loudly. Heads swiveled towards their direction and smiles were thrown their way.

"Finally! Do you know how long you guys were gone?" Lauren asked snootily. "If I had a watch, I would be able to tell you easier. But it was definitely over an hour!" she complained.

"Don't mind her." Angela whispered once she was standing beside Bella. "She's just upset because Jacob made her and Jess actually pitch in. He threatened to not give them food if they didn't help."

Bella looked over at Jacob had sighed a breath of relief at her safe return. "You were gone a while. I was beginning to worry." He told her honestly. Bella felt her heart slam against her chest strangely. This was beginning to happen more often whenever she was around Jacob and it was starting to worry her; this foreign feeling.

"We had to travel a little ways to get this stuff. No worries." She responded with a smile. "But we have berries!"

Jessica groaned in horror. "No more berries!" she clenched her stomach from phantom pains and Bella laughed lightly.

"It's okay. They are boysenberries. Boysenberries aren't poisonous." Jessica glanced at the berries skeptically. "Besides," Bella began. "Mike was so brave, he tested out a few to make sure they were safe and that was a while ago. If he isn't puking up his guts by now, I doubt he ever will."

Jessica seemed comforted by this thought and reached out to try a berry. Bella took a step back and Jessica's hand ended up catching air instead. Confused, she turned her puzzled stare to Bella. "What are you doing?" she asked quizzically.

"I think it's only fair to let Felix get some first. He's been working really hard."

Felix pushed Jessica out of the way and loomed above Bella. "I second that motion. Thanks babe." He grabbed a large handful of Bella's berries and began scarfing them down quickly.

"Geez Felix. Slow down, we don't want you to choke." Bella forewarned. Felix rolled his eyes but followed Bella's advice and ate his berries slower.

Jacob also took some berries from Bella's pile, as did Angela. Lauren and Jessica took from Mike and once everyone standing had their berries, Mike split what was left of his berries with Quil.

"These berries do taste funny. Are you sure they aren't poisonous?" Lauren asked dubiously.

"This is how boysenberries taste." Bella assured her.

"Quit complaining." Quil grouched. "There is just no winning with you. You complain when you're hungry. You complain when given food. Just. Shut. Up."

Lauren picked up one of her berries and threw it at the injured boy. It hit him square in the forehead before falling into his open hand.

"Hey thanks!" he ate the berry happily and Lauren scoffed before turning her attention elsewhere.

"I can't wait to be rescued." Jacob muttered to Bella. "If only to escape that girl and her annoying complaints."

Bella laughed, Angela giggled and Felix snickered. "I hear that." The hut maker agreed.

**A/N: Hi my lovely reviewers! I hope everyone (if ya celebrate it) had a great Christmas! Whatcha think of the chapter? Wanna tell me but don't know how? Here's a hint: Click the link below that says 'Review this chapter' ;) Thanks in advance for your reviews ^u^ **


	10. Epiphany

Chapter 9

_Epiphany- [ih-pif-uh-nee] A sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience._

The day slowly dragged on. But as the sun continued its journey across the sky, eventually it breached the horizon and displayed peachy orange hues that streaked across the imminent midnight blue that had stained its way into the sky above.

Felix knotted in the last branch and stood back to marvel at this masterpiece. Even though it had taken virtually all day, he had completed making a shelter for himself and his peers. Standing at barely six feet in height, the unattractive hut derived different reactions from the teens.

"Wow, its large enough to hold most of us." Angela looked down at her hands. "I can't believe we built it."

"It's sturdy too." Jacob leaned against the hut to prove his point.

"If we take some palm tree leaves and cover the roof, it'll be like a real shelter." Bella mused aloud.

"Oh that's a good idea." Angela complemented.

"It's hideous." Laruen grouched. "I want to go home."

"I agree. I mean, ew. Look at it." Jessica gestured to the hut with a look of utter distaste.

Jacob, Bella and Angela raised their voices to defend the hut, but Felix silenced them with a wave of his hand. Calmly he looked at Lauren and Jessica. "So you don't like the hut?"

Lauren shook her head adamantly and Jessica looked to Lauren first before agreeing with the girl. "Not at all." Lauren replied pretentiously.

A curt laugh from Felix and he gestured to the other hut that Quil was currently still stationed. "Well, then by all means, stay in that one."

The two girls turned around and looked at the second unfinished hut with horror. "But it's not even finished!" Jessica gasped.

Felix shrugged. "Complaints won't be tolerated. It's not like I'm going to build a hotel."

"If you do, can you make sure to have fresh towels in my room?" Lauren asked seriously.

"This isn't a vacation you nimrod!" Felix snapped, finally losing his patience. "We are shipwrecked on some island!"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "So? Does that mean I have to sleep in something that looks like cow pies?"

Angela leaned over and whispered in Bella's ear. "I didn't even know she knew what cow pies are."

Bella suppressed her giggles but obviously not well enough because Lauren turned on her. "What's so funny Ms. Dirty Clothes?"

"We're all dirty." Bella responded. "Although how you and Jessica manage to keep your hair done is beyond me."

Lauren took that as a compliment and ran her fingers through her straight corn-silk colored hair. "Oh, Jess was fortunate enough to have a comb in her pocket." She puffed up her hair conceitedly and Bella had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"Instead of doing your hair, maybe you could try helping us." Bella said it slowly, and without any negative inflictions. "I mean," she started quickly when Lauren was about to retort with something most likely snarky. "We need to help each other. After all, we don't have any idea how long we're going to be stuck here. If we want to survive until we are rescued, then I think working together is the only way. That means we each have to do _equal_ amounts of work." Bella finished with a smile and felt she'd made a good argument.

Lauren was quiet for a moment and Bella felt she had gotten through to Lauren. After a few seconds, Lauren pointed to Bella's socked feet. "Those are really dirty. You should wash those or something."

Jacob gaped at the girl. "Did you not listen to anything she just said?"

Lauren twirled a lock of hair between two fingers. "Huh? She said something about equality and airplanes."

"What? No she didn't!" Jacob stared incredulously at the girl.

"Oh she didn't? Whoops. I must've tuned her out for a second. I was thinking about painting my nails blue when we get back home. What do you think?"

Jacob and Angela sighed, Felix rolled his eyes and Bella just watched as Jessica led Lauren away from the quartet so that they could talk or gossip in private.

"Of all the people to find, you had to find someone as useless as Lauren?" Felix narrowed his eyes at Bella.

"Don't blame her for Laurens idiocy." Jacob said, coming to Bella's defense.

"Whatever." Felix grunted. "So are you really going to do it?" he asked, looking at Bella.

"Do what?" she asked in confusion.

"Put palm tree leaves over the roof. I think it's actually a good idea."

Bella smiled at him and nodded. "Yes. I think we should."

"Hey look. Mike is already trying to get some leaves." Angela pointed out. The boy in question was standing a few yards away, trying to shimmy his way up a leaning palm tree.

"So that's where he's been the whole time." Bella, along with Jacob, Angela and Felix, watched the boy steadily make his way across the length of the tree.

"Oh, I think he's only up there to get a coconut. Let's tell him to get some leaves too." Angela suggested, already beginning to walk over to where the boy was reaching for a coconut.

"Hey Mike!" Jacob called, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his voice could project farther.

Startled, Mike lost his grip on the tree and began to slide off.

"Oh no!" Angela stared wide eyed at the boy.

Locking his arms and legs around the tree, he hung from it like a sloth with clenched eyes.

"Be careful Mike!" Bella warned him.

Peeking one eye open, Mike looked at everyone from his upside down state. "I. Can't. Move." He told them nervously. Mike's body was shaking from his predicament and the movement caused the tree to release a few leaves and a coconut.

"He's helping us without even realizing it." Bella laughed softly. "But one of us is going to have to go up there and help him."

"Don't look at me." Angela murmured, flexing her weak muscles.

Two pairs of girly eyes stared at the only boy in the group. Jacob.

"Fine. I'll get him." Jacob walked over to the base of the tree and climbed aboard. Carefully situating himself, he began to shimmy up the diagonal tree. "I'm coming Mike. Just hold on."

Mike shook even more from fright when he felt the tree moving because of Jacob's weight. "Are you sure this tree can even handle our combined weight?" Mike asked as the closer Jacob got towards him, the closer the ground seemed to appear.

Jacob grunted and the girls on the ground realized Mike had a point. As Jacob grew closer, the tree came slowly but steadily became in reach. Taking advantage of this, they jumped up and attacked the leaves hanging languidly down from the plant. The rustling noise surprised Mike and he accidentally released his arms and legs from the tree. Gravity kicked in and his body fell to the ground, collapsing on top of the two girls like a ton of bricks.

Muffled cries sounded from under Mike, and Jacob jumped off the tree immediately; landing on the balls of his feet like a cat. Hurrying over to his hurt friends, he pulled a dazed Mike off of the squashed girls. "You guys okay?" he asked concernedly.

Bella lifted her face up out of the sand and coughed to dispel any that had entered her mouth. "Yeah, fine." She coughed again and sand spewed from her lips.

"Me too." Angela whispered, sitting up and brushing the sand out of her hair.

"I just had to face plant." Bella grumbled, rubbing her tongue with her dirty fingers and cringing at the taste. "Ew."

Jacob laughed, and squatted beside her. "You'll be okay." He murmured, helping her by brushing the sand off of her cheeks.

Bella was startled to find a trail of heat emblaze her skin where Jacob touched. Confused by the feelings welling inside of her, she leaned back, causing Jacobs hand to be removed from her face. Puzzled, Jacob quirked a brow at her. Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Bella shook her head free then turned to the leaves now littering the ground. The girls in such a short time had been able to free every long wispy leaf from the now bald palm tree. "Let's get these over to the hut."

The quartet picked up the leaves and returned to the hut. Jacob and Felix being the same height or slightly taller than the hut, took it upon themselves to place the leaves atop as a make-shift roof. Once the hut was officially roofed, everyone looked at the complete masterpiece happily. "I feel like we're so self-sufficient." Bella pondered aloud.

"We were ship-wrecked what, two days ago?" Angela sought out confirmation. She received some nods and continued speaking. "And already we have a home-like place to sleep for the nights. This hut should also block out some of the wind."

"Oh that's great." Mike said happily. "So what are the sleeping arrangements? Boys to one side, girls to another?"

Felix scowled at the boy. "What are we, nine?" He walked over to Bella and slung an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sleeping next to her."

"What?" Bella shirked his arm off and took a side step away. "There's no way I'm sleeping next you."

Felix smirked at the horrified girl. "Come on babe. You know you want this." He indicated his finely toned and chiseled body.

"No thanks." Bella replied calmly.

Jacob, unfazed by Felix's usual conceited behavior, answered Mike's questions. "It's not roomy enough for us to be trying to separate from each other. We'll just have to integrate. But with our shared body heat, we might be able to fair the cold of the night better."

A collective murmur of understand fled through the group and Mike spoke once more. "So what about the others?" He pointed in the direction of Lauren, Jessica and Quil.

"What about them?" Felix asked innocently.

"Well, aren't they going to be in here too?"

The four teens exchanged glances before remembering that Mike hadn't heard the previous conversation. "Mike," Angela began slowly. "They aren't sleeping in this hut with us."

"Why not?" he asked puzzled.

"They insulted my hut building skills." Felix replied. "They didn't like it, so they aren't sleeping in here. This is only for the privileged."

"He means," Bella interjected. "We worked really hard to build this. They barely did anything and then they insulted our finished work. So for right now, they aren't allowed to sleep here with us."

Mike didn't seem to like this. "Well that's not fair."

"You can join them over there if you don't like it." Felix growled. "As I recall, your work was minimum at best."

Mike almost paled as he looked at the two different huts. "Uh no. It's okay. I'm starting to see the equality." He murmured.

Felix smirked at the boy. "Yeah, thought so." Stalking past Mike, Felix entered the hut through the small opening he had left. Not knowing how to make a door, they had decided to just leave a wall unfinished. So instead of four fully built walls, where the third and fourth wall would meet to make a corner, there was just an opening. "I'm tired. Don't disturb me."

The three teens watched Felix disappear into the hut, and decided to abide by his wishes to not be disturbed. After all, he had been working all day and it's not like they were getting fed properly. If not for the berries, one would argue that they hadn't eaten at all.

Stomach growls filled the air and a communal sigh filled the air. "I hope we get rescued soon, if only so we can get something to eat." Angela spoke before a yawn over took her.

"Yeah, it's like we're doing an epic diet." Mike grunted, holding his stomach as if to keep the growls from escaping.

"Tomorrow, I think we should go looking for more food." Bella suggested.

"I agree. This time I'll be able to go with you because I won't be working on the hut." Jacob told her, a smile lighting up his face.

Bella returned the smile and Angela looked between the two, a soft giggle escaping through her lips.

"What's so funny?" Bella asked, glancing at her friend bemused.

Angela just shook her head softly. "It's nothing Bella." She yawned again and turned towards the hut. "Similar to Felix, I think I'm going to turn in for the night."

Bella and Jacob wished their friend good night and Mike stood there awkwardly in front of them. "Well…I guess I'll head to bed too." He muttered.

Bella looked up at the sky. It had darkened considerably and she gasped when she saw something that living in the city, you don't see very often. "Look at all the stars." She whispered in awe.

Jacob followed her gaze upward at the speckled night sky. Spotting a few familiar constellations, he let his gaze slowly drop back down to the girl beside her. Even though she looked as disheveled and dirty as a homeless person, he could still see the beauty of a girl whom he was falling for—

"Oh we should try fishing!" Bella snapped him out of his thoughts and turned a flashed him an ecstatic smile. "We're surrounded by the ocean. Why didn't we think of this before?"

Jacob almost didn't hear what she said; he'd been so caught up in his thoughts. But slowly he backtracked through the last part of their conversation and realized Bella had just suggested they try fishing as a source of sustenance. "Oh that's a great idea! We've been starving and yet surrounded by food." Jacob face-palmed for not thinking up this idea sooner.

"Come on, let's go to sleep. My stomach is killing me and we can't fish in the dark."

Jacob laughed and followed Bella inside the hut. Felix was sleeping near the far wall with Angela less than a foot away from him and Mike next to her. The three teens were all facing the same way in their slumber, on their sides, facing forwards. With their backs to Jacob and Bella, Jacob lied down beside Mike and Bella took the final spot next to Jacob. The pair faced each other and Bella still had her small smile. "Fish. I can't wait to eat something that might actually make me full." She whispered.

"Me too." Jacob saw a small shiver run down her body. "You cold?"

Bella nodded slowly. "I'm in front of the door so I guess I'm getting all the cool air." She smiled at him ruefully.

Jacob glanced over at the darkness of the door then looked over at Bella. "You want to sleep closer to me?" he asked almost silently.

Bella paused a moment. She'd done it the other night so it wasn't a problem with her. But that same feeling came back, and a warm flush engulfed her cheeks. "Is it really okay?" she asked, somewhat nervously.

Jacob reached out and lightly flitted his hand over her cheek. "Of course Bella." He replied.

Bella wormed her way closer to the boy and ended up snuggling into his chest. "Thanks Jacob." She spoke into his shirt. His warm body really did radiate heat like a space heater. Bella felt wherever she and Jacob's body touched, it would warm instantly and the cold of the night soon became all but forgotten.

**A/N: Whoo! First chapter of the new year! I have a very important message for you twilight fans. In just three short months, a film will be released and if they did the book justice, the movie will be epic. They (critics) say that if you liked Twilight, you might like this even more (holy crap!). The book (and movie) is called Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins. If you read this book (I'd advise you do) make sure that you are in a comfortable area, you have all the time in the world, food and beverages are at the ready and no one is going to disturb you. Once you get about 4 maybe 5 or so chapters into this book, I can almost promise you, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN! (I couldn't anyway). **

**Anywho, thanks to everyone who alert/fav'd my story, and an extra thanks goes out to my lovely reviewers ^^ Much love is thrown your way, and a new chapter will be posted soon :3**


	11. Itinerant

Chapter 10

_Itinerant- [ahy-tin-er-uhnt] A person who alternates between working and wandering; nomadic, migratory, unsettled, roving, roaming._

Blinking wearily, Bella coughed as sand flew into her mouth when she took her first few manual breaths of the day. Expelling the sand from her dry mouth, she stood up shakily and realized she was the only one still inside the hut. Batting her eyes against the blinding sun, she emerged from the hut to find half of her peers standing in the ocean water with sticks in their hands. _'What on earth are they doing?' _She thought curiously. Stretching quickly, she began a light jog to where they were, and slowed to a stop when she reached the shore.

Jacob, Felix and Mike stood in the ocean water with large sticks that had whittled down sharp tips. The three boys were each shirtless and had their lower garments rolled up mid-thigh. Felix, always being shirtless and wearing shorts, looked the most normal of them all. But Mike bared his pasty skin to world and Bella wondered idly if someone of his pallor should shirtless and vulnerable in under the relentless sun above. Finally her eyes made their way over to her best friend whom the entire time whilst being on the island, his chest had been covered by a green tee. Unlike Mike, Jacob's chest wasn't pasty and pale but instead it bronzed and chiseled like a living and breathing Adonis. His long brown hair, now dripping with water, hung in long tresses against his shoulders and back.

Bella snapped her eyes from ogling the boy further when she heard her name being called to her right. Locking eyes with one who called her, a small smile etched its way across her face and she quickly trotted over to the female. "Hey Angela." She greeted the girl sitting in the sand.

"Morning." Angela returned. "So I hear this was your idea?" Angela gestured to the activity the three boys currently were undertaking.

A shrug was Bella's modest response. "I didn't know they would go about it this way." She admitted. "How long have they been doing this?"

"A couple hours. But this is the second time. You should've seen them an hour ago." Angela giggled softly.

"Why?" Bella asked curiously.

Jessica and Lauren were sitting beside Angela, overheard the conversation and decided to tell the girl themselves.

"Because they first went out there without anything!" Jessica guffawed.

"Yeah, the idiots thought they could catch fish with just their hands." Lauren snorted a laugh.

Bella glanced back out at the boys and shook her head in amusement at the knowledge. "So whose idea was it for them to make spears?"

Angela waved her had softly. "That would be me. I only suggested it because right now we don't have any type of fishing equipment and while spears may take a while, you _can_ get fish this way."

"Ingenious." Bella complemented. "Oh! We should get a fire started while they work." Bella suggested.

"Good idea." Angela rose from the sand and brushed off her bum. "Well, aren't you two coming along too?" Angela asked the two girls still sitting on the beach gazing out at the boys.

"Uh…we're kinda enjoying the view. If you know what I mean." Jessica waggled her eyebrows and indicated the hard working shirtless boys.

"Okay, but if they withhold their catch from you, you'll know why." Angela muttered.

Lauren and Jessica giggled like schoolgirls. "As long as Mike catches something, we'll be just fine." Lauren waved the two standing girls away with her hand and Bella had to resist the juvenile urge to kick sand at the two teens. Walking away, the pair first went to check on Quil. Finding the boy still asleep inside the hut, Bella went to a palm tree, knocked down a coconut and set it beside the dozing boy with a large stick he could open it with.

"That was nice of you." Angela spoke as they walked towards the forest.

"He's always there; most of us don't even try to keep him company. I want him to know someone cares." Bella said nonchalantly.

"He is pretty isolated. Maybe I can convince Felix to make another hut closer to ours and we can move him there. At least that way he'll face the beach and be around more people."

"That would be good for him. Plus I'm sure we'll find more classmates and our one hut is barely big enough for us."

"Poor Felix though. All he's doing is building and building and building. You think he'll get tired of making these huts?" Angela asked curiously.

A short laugh from Bella could be heard before she responded. "His ego is easily inflated. As long as we compliment him and his skills, he'll keep doing it."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they walked through the woods and gathered up wood for a fire. After each of them had a pile of wood in their arms, they trudged back to the beach and dumped the pile. "We can use the rocks from our first campfire to contain it like before." Bella proposed.

"I was thinking the same thing." Angela smiled at her friend. "I can start setting it up."

"Okay, I'm going to collect more wood." Bella turned and headed back towards the woods. She spent the next few minutes gathering wood, then hurried back towards the beach and dropped her load. Angela by this point had gathered half of the rocks into a new circle closer towards the finished hut. Bella appraised her friend's quick handiwork before venturing back into the woods to collect another round of wood.

While in the woods, for once Bella actually took in her surroundings. It being the part of the woods closest to the beach, there had been a lot of traffic there so many branches were broken from being stepped on and a small beaten path had been made. Remembering the banana tree she had encountered a couple days ago that had been ravaged by monkeys, she wondered if it was now safe to return. A war of conflicts raged within her head. So many things were against her. She was first off alone in the woods. If the monkeys were in fact still there in woods, there was no one there that could help her if she were to get attacked. But on the bright side, if the monkeys were there, her being alone, she could possibly escape without having to worry if the other person were okay too. Another bright side would be the bananas themselves. While the boys were fishing, it wasn't a guarantee that they would catch anything. At least the bananas were another source of food and could sustain them for a little longer. Still undecided, the growling in Bella's stomach seemed to make up her mind for her for she began silently making her way to the banana tree.

Once the tree was within her sights, she froze and listened closely for any animal sounds. Aside from a few tropical birds she could hear in the distance along with some bugs, the area was pretty quiet. So, she decided to take a chance and walked over to the banana tree. Her face fell in horror when she saw how voracious the monkeys had been. If there was an uneaten banana on the tree, she couldn't spot it. The once proud tree standing lavished with countless bananas, not drooped with half eaten bananas everywhere and the peels littering the floor carelessly. "Obviously the monkeys were not domesticated." Bella mumbled sadly. The peels lead off to the right where she was sure the monkeys had gone off in after their meal. Not wanting to cross paths with the banana thieves, she decided to take the path less traveled and began trekking towards the left. Noticing that the ground had broken branches leading in a single straight path leading diagonally, she immediately remembered her and Jacob's last adventure and realized they had in fact created this path. Chuckling softly, she began following the fear induced path and after a good twenty minutes, reached a fork in the road.

"Well that's weird." She muttered looking up and down the two paths. "Me and Jacob didn't split up. I wonder where the other path leads." Not sure why she so fascinated by this fork in the road, or why she was still in the woods for that matter, Bella decided to follow the second path and see where it took her. Not wanting to get lost, she removed both of her very dirty socks and strung them on a low hanging branch facing in the general direction of the way she had just come. That way when she came back, she would know which way led her back to the beach. After arranging her socks, she twinkled her toes against the ground and not for the first time wished she had shoes.

Walking down the path, at first everything was normal and looked the same as the previous neck of the woods she'd been passing through. But soon she noticed the ground was sloping downwards and starting to get marshier. Almost immediately after realizing that the ground was becoming too difficult to walk through, the slopping ground became too steep to walk normally and she knew she would have to turn around. Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance, for as she was turning to walk back the way she had come, the slippery ground caused the shoeless girl to lose her balance and down the hill she began to fall like a rag doll. Mud and branches welcomed her down the hill by slathering their dirt and grime across her body along with delivering her a few fresh cuts and bruising her in numerous places along her body. After thirty seconds of falling, the hill took mercy upon Bella and began to level off, slowing down her fall until she rolled to a stop on a horizontal plane. Lying there motionless for a few minutes, Bella didn't make a sound as she silently endured the pain that wracked her body.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked a few feet away from her.

Bella couldn't place the voice, but she knew it to be familiar. Her back being to the person, she couldn't identify them but guessed it was another one of her missing classmates. Opening her mouth to speak, she winced when just the slight moving of her face caused pain.

"You awake?" the voice asked again from its spot.

Bella tried to nod but her body rejected the movement in favor of releasing a fresh wave of pain throughout the girl's body. A small whimper escaped through her lips and her foot twitched.

"Hold on, I'm stuck but I'll try to help you." The voice behind her spoke again.

Bella could hear struggling and grunting noises as the boy behind her tried to become unstuck and help her out. As her brain ran through the list of names the voice could belong to, he spoke again.

"This is ridiculous. I'm sorry it's taking me so long to get to you. I also fell down the hill, but not as badly as you." He admitted. "My legs are tangled up in vines though and it's really hard to untangle them."

Bella listened to the boy continue to talk to her as he struggled in to free himself. She couldn't tell if anything was broken on her body and that terrified her. Would she end up as incapacitated as Quil? Or did the fall injure her worse than the broken footed boy? She once again tried moving but found the pain unbearable. Blackness surrounded her peripheral and soon the pain became too intense for her body to handle and she just simply passed out.

~S.O.S~

Angela finished arranging the stones around the new campfire and the branches she and Bella had gathered were now organized in a neat fashion inside of the area. Upon finishing, she glanced up towards the woods waiting for her friend to return. She didn't know the exact time being sans watch, but she would guess that Bella had ventured into the woods almost an hour ago. Hoping that Bella wasn't lost but merely looking for more food, Angela glanced over at the unfinished hut a few feet away that currently housed Quil. Remembering Bella's words from earlier about Quil's isolation, Angela decided to check on the boy and see if he would enjoy her company for a little while. Shuffling through the sand in her flip flops, she walked over to the boy to find him drawing in the sand lazily. The coconut Bella had given him earlier lay opened in two. "Oh you figured out how to open them?" she asked, indicating the coconut.

Quil looked over at her and his bored expression seemed to dissipate at the sight of companionship. "Yup. After I popped an eye and drained it off its juice, I just used this stick to crack it open. It was hard but I succeeded only because the stick was strong enough." Quil picked up half of the coconut that had its flesh untouched. "Would you like to have some?" he offered.

Angela took the half and thanked him before picking off some of the white flesh of the coconut and eating it. "Sometimes I forget how hungry I really am." Angela murmured as she consumed the coconut.

Quil laughed as he watched the girl ravenously attack the coconut with her fingers. "Where are your manners? Didn't your mother teach not to eat with your hands?" he teased.

Angela smiled and wiped her face of any coconut remains when she finished with the hairy fruit. "So you doing okay?" she asked gently, not sure if Quil's foot was a touchy subject for him.

"I'm okay. Just bored." He replied honestly.

"Yeah, we figured. Bella came up with the idea for Felix to build another hut closer towards the finished one so that you could be nearer to everyone."

"She thought up that?" Quil asked surprised.

"Yes, she even brought you that coconut."

Quil glanced over at the coconut he had eaten and smiled. "Well that was nice of her. Who knew she could be so thoughtful."

"That's Bella for you."

"Where is she anyway? Out on the beach? Can you thank her for me?"

Angela glanced back towards the woods. "No, actually she went out to gather more wood. But's it's been awhile and I'm beginning to worry." Angela bit her bottom lip anxiously, then turned her head towards the beach. "I'm going to go tell the others about her absence. Will you be okay here by yourself?"

Quil snorted a laugh and Angela smiled to show she was joking as she walked away and headed towards the others.

"That boy is like a cool summer breeze on a hot day." Lauren raked her eyes over Jacob lecherously.

"Well Lauren, I never knew you to be a poet." Angela spoke as she entered hearing range.

"A poet? Who said I was a poet?" she asked bemused.

"But you just used a simile to describe Jacob." Angela told her.

"I used a what?"

"Nevermind." Angela sighed and headed towards the water. "Hey guys!" she called out by cupping her hands.

Felix poised his spear high above the water before slamming it down as quick as lighting to attain a fish. When he brought his spear out of the water, it was barren. "Oh for the love of fish! Why is this so hard?" he growled, stabbing the water over and over with the spear.

"Calm down Felix, you're scaring away all the fish." Jacob grunted, also striking the water but coming up empty.

Mike, being the only one that heard Angela, turned around and threw a wave her way. His pasty skinned body had reddened from being in the sun unprotected for so long. Angela realized this with horror and wondered if the boy knew he was sunburned. "Uh Mike! Can you come here for a sec!" Momentarily forgetting about Bella being missing, Angela's main concern was getting the boy out of the sun and into some shade before his sun burn grew worse. It's not like on the island there was store where they could buy some ointment to ease the pain that was sure to come.

Mike, albeit confused, made his way out of the water and over to Angela. Angela noticed him wince and knew that he knew that he had sunburn. "What did you need?" Mike asked, still holding his spear and now standing in front of Angela.

"Have you guys caught anything?" she asked, but felt she knew the answer from Felix's outburst earlier.

"Nope not yet." He replied. "Is that all?"

Angela roved her eyes over his crimson colored skin and frowned. "I think you should take a break."

"Is it that bad?" Mike asked self-consciously.

"No! It's just, well it's Quil." She blurted out. A confused look from Mike and she thought quickly of an excuse. "He's by himself all day and I'm sure he's bored to tears. Do you think you could maybe spend some time with him or something? Maybe keep him company?"

Mike dropped the spear and began happily trotting over to the shade of the hut Quil resided under. "Sitting with him beats trying to fish."

Angela rolled her eyes with a smile at Mike's laziness but was happy to have him not under the direct sunlight.

Jacob, being tan, was the most protected from the sun and while Felix wasn't as tan as Jacob, he wasn't as pasty skinned as Mike so he would be fine for a while, similar to Angela and Lauren. But Jessica was also going to be in trouble soon for she was only a shade or two darker than Mike. Angela could already spot the first few tell-tale signs of sunburn on the girl.

"Jess, you should probably join Mike and Quil under the shade, I think you too are getting sunburned." Angela suggested gently.

"You can't tell me what to do." Jessica griped. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine right here."

"But Jess, sunburns can really hurt-

"-blah blah blah." Lauren interjected. "If she said she is fine, then she is fine. Now stop bothering us. We're trying to enjoy the view."

Angela took one last look at Jessica's steadily growing sunburn before picking up Mike's dropped spear and heading out to help the boys fish.

"Heads up. Jessica is going to be in a very grouchy mood later. She will be complaining nonstop." Angela told the boys once she had wadded out to their location. The water came up just past her waist so she didn't bother to roll up her lower garments to keep from getting wet.

"How do you know that?" Jacob asked briefly glancing back at the two girls who waved flirtatiously at him.

"She's getting sunburned as we speak and didn't listen to me when I told her to take a break and sit in the hut."

"Take a break? From what? Sitting on that lazy butt of hers?" Felix snorted, striking the water but coming up empty.

Angela nor Jacob responded. "We're the ones working really working to survive and she's the one who wants to complain?" Felix scowled and glared at fish swimming between his legs. "She has no right." He brought his spear down on the large fish that was now trapped between his legs, and was surprised at his catch. The fish began to flounder around erratically and Felix had to work to keep the spear inside the thrashing fish. "Don't just stand there! Help me!" Felix snapped, trying to keep the fish from expelling the spear and swimming away.

Jacob and Angela snapped out of their trance induced by the sudden catch, then also slammed their spears into the fish. It quelled the erratic movements enough that Felix was able to bring the fish up and out of the water. With the help of Jacob and Angela, Felix was able to dislodge the spears and carry the fish to shore.

"Oh wow! It's so big! Good job Felix!" the girls squealed in delight.

"It's an okay size, but we're not going to be able to eat all of it." Jacob told them, bursting their bubble.

"Why not?" Lauren asked snootily.

"Because if you do," Jacob began, a condescending smile lighting his face. "You will _die_."

**A/N: Wow, this was a long chapter, 7 and a half pages long. I was going to make it even longer but I liked the way it ended so I stopped. But never fear my lovely reviewers! The next chapter is being written and will be posted super soon. Sorry for any grammatical errors. I'm going to go back and check it later. ^^ I just wanted to get this posted as soon as I finished writing it and didn't get a chance to check it yet. But I hoped you liked the chapter as always ^w^**


	12. Unity

Chapter 11

_Unity- [yoo-ni-tee] A whole or totality as combining all its parts into one; working together, teamwork._

Something cold brushed against the side of Bella's cheek and her eyes fluttered open. At first she didn't see anything and began to wonder if she were in fact dreaming. But then the pain settled in and she knew that she was in fact, awake. Whimpering, she tried to stand up, but found a weight pressing down on her shoulders kept her from moving. "I don't think you want to move around too much." A soft voice cautioned lightly, then she felt the weight leave and realized the weight had been a pair of hands.

Finding it less painful than before, she was able to speak but a dull ache settled upon her face. "What's in front of my face? I can't see." She asked in a whisper, head lolling backwards and striking something hard. An almost inaudible moan escaped through her lips.

A chuckle behind her could be heard before the cold hand reached over her and lifted up her hair that had blanketed her face. "Sorry about that. When I scooted you over here, I forgot to remove your hair from your vision."

Once her hair had been removed, she found herself staring into the eyes of a boy whose name had eluded her earlier, but returned tenfold. "Thanks Edward." She mumbled when he moved his hand from her hair.

He smiled a sort of half smile that changed his usually expressionless face. "Where are we?" she asked, noticing from the texture of the ground beneath her fingertips that they were not on the beach with the others.

"Well, I'm pretty sure this is an uncharted island so I'm not sure." He replied wryly.

Bella chocked on a laugh and winced from the pain of jolting her body. "No I meant are we close to where I fell?"

"A few minutes away yes." Edward replied.

"That's good." She whispered back, sliding onto her knees before trying to stand.

"You sure you should be getting up?" he asked skeptically.

The pain rocked down her body and Bella felt herself collapse back onto the ground, blackness tinting her vision once more before she knew she was going to pass out once more. "Not again." She murmured before her body shut down mentally and she was unconscious once more.

~S.O.S~

"_Die_?" Lauren gaped at the boy.

Jacob paused before bursting out into loud chortles. "Oh you should see your face right now." He teased after settling down from laughing. "You won't die from eating a whole fish."

Lauren sighed in relief.

"But you can get sick." He reiterated.

"Wait what? Are you messing with me again Jacob?" Lauren narrowed her eyes at the smiling boy.

"My dad's a fishermen remember? I think I know a little something about fish." Jacob looked at the fish Felix had caught that was now resting in the sand. "I don't really know every kind of fish there is by name. But I do know how to gut and clean them." He looked back up at Laruen. "I was serious though, you can get sick if you try to eat just any part of the fish. First off, you can't eat their organs because it can carry para-

"Ew! Jacob Black! You shut your mouth right now! I don't want to hear anything nasty like that! I will take your word for it!" Lauren screeched at him while covering her hears with her hands and closing her eyes.

"If that gets her to shut up, you should do it more often." Felix grunted.

Angela repressed her giggles and Jacob grinned. "Well since you girls don't want to be around to the see the cleaning of tis fish, you can help by starting the fire." Jacob suggested.

"But we don't know how to make a fire." Jessica replied innocently, hoping that by stating this obvious fact that she would be able to get out of the task.

Angela and Jacob exchanged glances. "I can teach you." Angela told her softly, then escorted her and Lauren away towards the unlit campfire.

Jacob watched them leave and realized for the first time that something was off. His eyes roamed over the campsite that they had created, looking for what was causing the strange feelings in the pit of stomach. Almost as if he was forgetting—

"So how are we going to clean this?" Felix asked, interrupting Jacob's thoughts and bringing the boy's attention on the task at hand.

Jacob looked down at the freshly caught fish that had ceased it's spasms. "Well usually I would take a knife and chop off the head before making a slit down its underbelly so that I could remove the organs without damaging the meat. But we're not at home so I'm going to have to improvise. Let's see if we can find some sharp rocks." Felix nodded in affirmance and the pair began scrounging around the beach before gathering up a few rocks of different sizes that were fairly sharp. Jacob began hacking at the head and Felix watched with mild disgust.

Spotting the look on Felix's face, Jacob chuckled lightly. "It usually isn't this gory. With a really good knife, the gutting is much cleaner. Well," Jacob thought about this for a moment. "Much cleaner than this anyway." He rephrased, as a few fish parts flew into the air as he managed to decapitate the dead fish.

"I'm fine with gore." Felix grunted. "I'm disgusted because I'm so hungry I'm willing to eat the fish just the way it is."

Jacob paused in his hacking and threw Felix a funny look. "You aren't alone my friend." He mumbled before returning to the fish.

Angela had given the two girls a couple rocks to clack together in rapid succession in hopes that the sparks would start a fire.

"So what, we just keep hitting the rocks together?" Jessica asked, holding the two rocks she was given awkwardly.

Angela nodded and began demonstrating with her own rocks.

Lauren tossed her rocks to the side and crossed her arms. "I don't feel like it. Just get some matches or something."

Angela looked up at the girl, her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose. "If we had matches, we wouldn't be using rocks." She told the girl in a neutral tone.

Lauren rolled her eyes but didn't pick back up her rocks. Jessica looked at the rocks in her own hand, then back at Lauren's rock-less hands before concluding that she too didn't want to participate in this activity, so she set the rocks down beside herself and crossed her arms as well.

"Come on. Don't you want to eat?" Angela asked, still clacking her own rocks together furiously. "We have to get a fire started lest we eat the fish raw."

"Sushi." Lauren grunted.

"Actually," Angela began, remembering something she had learned in school a few weeks ago. "Some sushi contains 'cooked' fish. Sashimi is what you are thinking of."

"Sa-what?" Lauren asked baffled.

"Sashimi. It means raw fish in Japanese. You just made the assumption that all sushi is raw fish but that's not true." Angela replied smartly.

Lauren rolled her eyes at the girl. "I don't care. We can just eat sushi."

Angela shook her head. "You can't just eat any fish raw though."

Lauren was becoming exasperated. "Why not?"

Angela ceased in the clacking of her rocks to scoot up her glasses that were falling off her face. Just as she went to do so, the glasses fell into the unlit campfire. "Well some fish have to be cooked or else they can make you sick. Similar to how we don't eat raw meat because we can get sick." Angela told her as she picked up her glasses. Upon picking them up, she noticed that the tinder under her lens was beginning to smoke ever so slightly.

"Well that's stupid. If we can eat one fish raw, we should be able to eat all fish raw. There shouldn't be a difference." Jessica grumbled, putting in her two cents.

Angela watched in fascination as the tinder began to smoke even more when she angled her glasses against the sun more. How did she forget learning this back in sixth grade during survival week? For once she was thankful for the fact that she wore glasses. It might just come in handy with the campfire.

"That's like saying that all berries should be the same." Angela shot a skeptical look at Jessica, doubting that the girl's brain activity was functioning properly. Had she forgotten about the berry incident already? Seeing Jessica flush in embarrassment, Angela thought not. "Besides, Angela spoke again but returned her eyes to the task at hand. "Not all fish taste the same so of course we must treat them differently when consuming them."

"Okay enough of this school lesson. We aren't even in school." Lauren grunted.

"We would be on an educational field trip if not for boating accident." Angela countered, spotting a small flame ignite on a piece of timber.

"What are you even doing?" Lauren asked angrily while simultaneously swatting Angela's hands away from the campfire.

"Hey!" Angela cried out in surprise.

The small fire began to eat away at the larger piece of wood and the girls watched in amazement as the fire quickly spread its way across the wood until they had a campfire going at a decent size.

"Wow! I can't believe we did it!" Jessica cheered.

"That was some good teamwork." Laruen agreed with a grin.

Angela had to repress a sigh. She had done all the work and the girls were trying to steal the credit. Before she could correct the girls 'teamwork' statement, Jacob and Felix came over carrying pieces of the fish from before.

"We had to wash it a little because it was a bit sandy, so it might taste a little salty." Jacob cautioned as he approached the fire. "Oh great, you were able to light it." He smiled at Angela while Laruen coughed to get his attention.

"We helped!" She growled, holding up the rocks.

Felix rolled his eyes. "I beg to differ. I bet Angela did all the work while you two complained.

Angela looked at Felix and nodded slightly to show that he was in fact correct in his suppositions.

"Whatever!" Lauren snapped. "How are we supposed to cook this anyway? We don't have any pans."

Jacob's eyes widened in surprise at this new problem. "Wow, I can't believe we overlooked this major detail."

"I'd say skewer it but its fish. It might fall apart if we did that." Angela murmured.

Felix looked down at the fish he were holding and glared at it as if glaring would cook the fish. "I don't even like fish all like that. Why can't it be chicken?" he barked.

"Chicken?" Angela's brow furrowed before straightening out and a smile wove its way across her face. "Chicken!"

"Chicken?" Jacob asked confused.

"Why are we talking about chicken?" Jessica asked puzzled.

"Why are _you_ so _red_?" Felix retorted.

"I'm not red!" Jessica looked down at her body before gawking as an extreme sunburn seemed to magically appear on her body. "What in the world?"

Angela brought her eyes over to Jessica before frowning. "I tried to warn you earlier that you'd get sunburn." She almost whispered.

Lauren reached over and poked Jessica's screaming skin eliciting a yelp from the girl. "You should probably go rest in the hut with Quil and Mike." Jacob suggested.

Jessica shot up from the ground like she had been burned; which she had been. Lauren followed the girl who sped towards the unfinished hut.

"Okay, moving on." Felix grunted. "I said 'chicken' and you seemed to get an idea." He addressed to Angela.

"Oh right. Chicken!" she smiled.

"What about it?" he asked.

"Rotisserie chicken!"

"I'm not sure I'm following."

"Think about the way it is cooked." She prompted.

"Okay but I'm still not following."

"We can cook it similar to rotisserie chicken. Except, we'll improvise. We can take two long sticks that stretch across the fire. Tie the fish to the sticks and then two of us will rotate it around in a circle so that the fish will cook evenly!"

The two boys looked down at the fish in their hands silently. "That might actually work." Jacob mused aloud. "Wow, I would've never thought of that." He grinned and Angela rose from the ground.

"I'm going to get some wood from the…" Worry flashed across her face as her eyes roved over the forest. "She never came back." Angela realized. "It's been a long time now."

A cold chill ran down Jacob's back. The feeling that he was forgetting something returned and he looked over at the unfinished hut where he could spot Mike, Lauren, Jessica and Quil residing under but the one he was searching for was nowhere to be seen.

"Angela," he began slowly. "Where is Bella?"

~S.O.S~

"You awake yet?" Edward asked warily.

Bella yawned loudly and opened her eyes at the sound of Edward's voice. A hand waved in front of her eyes and she swatted it away tiredly. A dull ache spread through her arm, but when she remembered the pain from earlier, this was much more manageable. "I'm awake." She whispered to the boy.

"That's good." He graced her with a soft smile. "How are you feeling?"

A shrug didn't provoke pain, so Bella began moving other body parts. She began by rolling her head around and winced when sharp pains raked across her neck. Still, the pain had lessened considerably and she took this as a good sign. So, she prepared to stand up and did so shakily. Like standing on pins and needles, she realized her feet were asleep and began to wobble. Before she could fall though, Edward had his arms around her waist and she slumped against his chest.

"Whoa there. Be careful." He whispered, lips near her ear. Small shivers spiraled down Bella's body and her heart began to beat erratically against her chest.

While in his embrace, she did a quick pain check on her body. She already knew that her neck was still injured from the sharp pains still emitting from it. Her arms held a dull ache but were otherwise alright. Aside from her feet being asleep, it seemed that they weren't broken and once they had 'woken up' they would be in working order. Her legs didn't seem to be in too bad of a condition but similar to her arms they had dull ache working through them. Overall, the pain seemed to be just enough for her to endure. So after flushing extremely from such close contact with her classmate, she untangled herself from his embrace and took a step away, only to collapse to her knees as a clenching pain erupted in her stomach. The pain, unlike her other pains, seemed to be more external and she lifted up her shirt partly to see if what damage had been done.

A sharp intake of breath sounded as Edward's eyes narrowed on the large gash slicing through Bella's stomach, cutting diagonally into her naval before stopping roughly at where her capris met her waist. Blood had dried around the wound making the wound look even more grotesque. But from all her moving, a split had occurred and now fresh blood began to drizzle its way across her stomach, filling her naval before staining the waistline of her capris. Bella dropped her shirt and tried to stand again.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked outraged before placing his hands firmly on her shoulder to keep her from getting up.

"We can't stay here forever." She replied, ceasing her struggles against the strong hands when it only caused her pain.

"Did you not just see that cut across your stomach?" he asked incredulously. "You keep moving around like that and you'll bleed to death!"

Bella huffed in irritation. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"You don't know if an artery was hit!" Edward snapped. "Stop moving!" he growled when she tried standing again.

"But it's not like we can stay here forever." She angrily replied.

"What's your hurry? It's not like we have somewhere to go." He stated calmly while gesturing to the woods.

Bella sighed. "They'll worry if I'm not back soon." She told him softly.

"Who?"

"The others. Those of us stationed at the beach."

"Oh! You mean everyone is okay and on the beach?" Edward asked, excitement coloring his tone.

"Not everyone." Bella said softly. "Just those of us who've been found."

"Who has been found?"

Bella counted off the people on her fingers. "Jacob, Angela, Felix, Quil, Lauren, Jessica and Mike."

Edward paused for a moment. "That still leaves about half our class still missing though. Plus Mr. B."

"Yeah. Well anyway, I should've been back by now so I'm sure they are going to worry." Once again, she tried to get up, only to have Edward stopping her.

"Are you trying to _kill_ yourself? In your condition, you can't be moving around, so cut it out." He griped.

Bella pouted up at him and Edward rolled his eyes. "So, what, am I supposed to just sit here until my cut heals?"

Edward smiled. "Yes." He stated simply.

"Well that's not going to happen." She grumbled, slapping away his hands and standing up.

Edward gave her a disapproving look, but since she was so adamant about it, he allowed her to do as she pleased.

Bella paled from the pain of taking a step before latching onto Edward in fear of falling over. Her left arm wrapped around his shoulder, and his right arm curled around her waist. "We can't stay here."

"You'll die of blood loss." He reminded her.

"Let's just hope I get to the beach before I do." She said with a small smile.

"You are one crazy girl." He contemplated. " You said it yourself though that you don't even know where we are."

"So? Doesn't mean I don't want to _try_ and get out of here"

Edward frowned. "I would carry you, but I haven't eaten in days and I'm actually not feeling very well."

"That's very sweet of you. We might have food on the beach. The boys were fishing last time I was there."

Edward threw Bella a surprised look. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he took a small step forward and Bella mirrored it. Wincing from the flare up of pain in her stomach, she brought her free hand over to her stomach and staunched the blood flow.

"This is going to take a while." She whispered through clenched teeth.

"Wait a second." Edward removed his arm from around her and quickly withdrew his shirt from body. "I know it is dirty, but so is your hand." He passed her the shirt. "This might help keep some of the blood in but when we get to the beach you're going to have to take a quick swim in the ocean."

Bella accepted the shirt and held it against her wound gratefully. "Why would I do that?" she asked disbelievingly. "Don't you know what happens when you pour salt on a wound? Do you know what's in the ocean? S-A-L-T."

Edward laughed before slipping his arm back around her waist and she returned her to his shoulders while keeping the shirt pressed against the wound. "Salt can actually disinfect a wound. Not too much though or else it'll work against you. But since I'm sure this island doesn't have a hospital, the ocean will just have to be a substitute."

"How do you even know about that?" she asked dubiously.

"My dad is a doctor. You pick up a few things here and there when a family member works in the medical business."

Peeling back the shirt, Bella looked down at her wound once more. "How bad do you think it is?"

Edward looked down at it, then looked away quickly.

"Let's hope it's just a flesh wound and not too deep." He grumbled before urging her to take another step forward. "Come on, I'm sure you don't want to stay here forever."

Bella glanced up at the sky through the trees. With the way the sunlight was filtering in through the trees, she knew the sun to be directly overhead. With her injuries and not even knowing what neck of the woods she was in, it could be hours before she and Edward made it back to the beach and she wasn't too keen on spending the night in the woods. So, without further stalling, she set out with Edward at a slow pace, wincing uncomfortably at the pain.

**A/N: I was shocked beyond belief when one of my reviewers, **_scifiromance, _**guessed who was the one that found Bella :O Am I that predictable? xD I need to throw in more curve balls, so I think I shall! B) **


	13. Trepidation

Chapter 12

_Trepidation- [trep-i-dey-shuhn] Tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation, trembling or quivering movement; tremor._

Felix tied the vine on the two sticks so that they formed an 'X' then held it for Jacob to see. Jacob held up a pair of sticks mirroring Felix's and the pair walked over to Lauren and Angela who were standing opposite each other near the fire. The two girls were holding two long branches that stretched across the fire. The two branches were a few inches apart and the fish that was cooking had been strung and hung between the branches like a hammock.

"Okay, let's set this down here." Felix indicated to Jacob to set down his 'X' near Angela while he himself would set it down by Lauren.

"It's about time you guys finished." Lauren growled in anger. "We've been holding these up for-_ever_!"

"More like _four-_minutes." Felix snapped. Adjusting some of the rocks so the 'X' didn't fall down, Felix took a step back a looked over at Jacob. "You good?"

Jacob nodded and the two girls gently lowered the branches into the 'V' presented and were happy when they had successfully created a makeshift rotisserie.

"My arms are tired." Lauren complained, flexing her arms around. "Oh my gosh! I think I broke a nail!" she squealed, eyes locking on one of her fingers where a nail was merely chipped.

"Shut up!" Felix snapped. "You always complain about mundane things. Do you forget every day that we are _stranded_ on this island?"

Lauren crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the angry shirtless boy. "I'm just trying to make the most of our situation." She huffed dramatically. "I need a hot towel!" she cried before trudging away in the sand towards the unfinished hut.

"Is it okay if I wring her neck?" Felix asked in irritation, fingers twitching.

"Calm down Felix." Angela said softly, placing a gentle hand on the annoyed hut maker's shoulder. "She grates on everyone's nerves." Angela smiled up at him. "Once we're rescued, we won't have to be around her so much. Let's look forward to that."

Felix looked at the hand resting on his shoulder and released a grunt. "Whatever. That girl needs to get her act together. Acting like a princess won't help her survive right now." He shrugged off the hand and walked over to the complete hut before disappearing inside.

"Well he seems calmer." Jacob mused aloud.

"He's really stressed right now." Angela told him sadly. "He just doesn't want to show it so he becomes angry."

Jacob cocked a brow. "Oh really now? How would you know this?"

Angela shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm good at reading people." She replied. "So what are we going to do about Bella? She has yet to return." Angela and Jacob both looked towards the woods in hope of that the missing girl in question would suddenly emerge.

"I want to go looking for her now but," Jacob glanced over at the cooking fish.

"You're hungry?" Angela guessed.

"No that's not it. Those greedy monsters will take _her_ portion if I'm not here to save her a piece."

Angela laughed softly. "It hurts to not know if she's okay or not, doesn't it?"

Jacob's cheeks began to color and soon resembled that of a McIntosh apple. "She's my best friend. So of course I'm worried." Jacob mumbled, almost at a loss for words.

A giggle and Angela was pushing him towards the woods. "Don't worry about the fish. Felix and I will make sure the _greedy little monsters_ don't touch you or Bella's share of the fish."

Jacob stumbled forward and threw Angela a relieved sigh. "Thanks." He said before jogging into the woods.

Not sure where to look first, he decided to stop by the banana tree. Surprised to find it lacking fruit, he remembered the monkeys and frowned. A slew of banana peels streaked off to the right and he was fairly sure with how aggressive they had been towards him and Bella that the missing girl did not go in that direction. So he decided to venture to the left where a ready-made pat awaited him. A snicker barely escaped his lips as he remembered why this path even existed. But before he could travel down the path, he had to make sure she didn't follow the monkey path. Pausing, he cupped his hands around his mouth and began shouting out Bella's name. "Bella! Bella where are you?" he called out then waited. Aside from the rustling of leaves and the occasional bird caw, the forest was silent. Moving on, he proceeded down the beaten path and delved into worried thoughts about his missing friend. She was alone somewhere in these woods and for all he knew she could be hurt or injured. Jacob didn't let his thoughts travel to death and so clouded his thoughts were he completely bypassed the pair of socks sitting on a low branch and followed the path that unbeknownst to him, Bella did not travel.

~S.O.S~

Bella gritted her teeth as they came upon another tree root that they needed to cross. She found that she could minimize the pain if she reduced her movements to a dull shuffle. But nature was against her in its formation of the island and its flora inhabitants, for she seemed to have to lift up her feet more times than not. "I got you." Edward whispered as she leaned most of her weight on the boy to cross over the root.

"Thanks." She managed to say after they crossed the root.

"It's no problem."

They continued to walk and Bella frowned as her vision began to act up. Shaking her head, she tried to clear it. But her efforts were fruitless.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked when Bella began squinting her eyes in struggle to see.

Shaking her head slowly, she glanced up at him briefly. "I can't see very well." She admitted.

Edward released a soft chuckle. "I think I know why." A small smile formed on his lips and he nodded towards the sky. "The sun is setting. It's getting darker."

Bella felt herself flush with embarrassment. "I was starting to wonder if the fall had affected my eyesight." She admitted.

"It's okay." A loud noise pierced the air and the pair froze.

"What was that?" Bella asked, eyes widening in fear.

Edward looked around but with the sun setting, the light was diminishing and since they were walking opposite the sunset, they were in almost complete darkness. "I have no idea. But I'm sure we don't want to find out." He tightened his grip around her waist and they began to shuffle along faster.

"I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever get out of here." Bella sighed. They had been walking for hours and the pain had not lessened since they began. If anything, it had gotten worse. The only good thing she could see that happened was had scabbed over again and was no longer bleeding. But this also meant that if there was dirt inside the wound, infection could set in. She knew for a fact that the wound was dirty and tried not to focus on the inevitable infection that was sure to set in. Her strength had waned considerably and their faster pace was draining her rapidly.

"Oh great! I can hear the ocean." Edward announced a few minutes later.

Bella opened her mouth to respond, but found she was too tired to do so. She wanted nothing more than to just lie down and go to sleep.

The pair burst forth from the darkened forest and found themselves on a deserted part of the beach. Bella almost wailed in disbelief at the fat that they weren't on the right stretch of beach. By now, she knew that the others were worried about her. She hoped that none of them went looking for her though, for she didn't want anyone to get lost on her behalf.

Edward looked up and down the squat part of the beach they had stumbled across. "I take it this is not where the others are." He sighed and Bella didn't respond. "Well, I guess we can look in the morning. For now, we need to flush out your wounds."

They leisurely walked out onto the beach and paused when they reached the water. "We're going to have to do this quickly." He warned.

Bella lazily brought her eyes to meet his and silently cocked a brow in question.

Edward interpreted that as a 'why?' and answered the unspoken question. "Blood attracts sharks. So a quick douse and then we're out."

Bella was too tired to even gather up enough fear at the prospect of sharks.

"Oh, and one more thing." His brow furrowed as he looked down at her. Gently, Edward used his friend hand to scoot aside her hand that clung to his shirt that she still had pressed over to wound. "In order to flush out the dirt with the salt water, it has to be open."

Bella understood what he was say and closed her eyes while Edward attempted to remove the scab. A hiss escaped her lips when he reopened the wound and tears prickles the corners of her eyes.

"Sorry about that." He murmured.

Sucking back the sobs, Bella allowed Edward to pull her into the ocean. She stumbled once and promptly fell, effectively drenching her whole body.

"Who knew your clumsy ness would come in handy." Edward grumbled as he leaned down to help her up.

The salt water burned fiercely against Bella's beaten and battered skin. Every open cut on her body was now being stabbed with the pain from the salt. Her stomach wound being the worst, was also the most painful.

Edward helped her out of the ocean and she only made it four paces from the water when she collapsed to the ground from the pain. Bella moaned lightly but made sure to stay on her back, for fear of sand entering her wound. Edward sat down beside her and pushed some of her wet hair out of her eyes. "I may not have thought this through exactly." He mused. Bella's clenched eyes opened slowly and she glanced over at him with in question. Edward caught the look and sighed. "Well, we're both wet now and it's getting cold." Bella closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself. She was already hurt and now to have pneumonia rearing at her heels, life wasn't swell at the moment. "I have an idea though. Wait here." Edward rose from the ground shakily and Bella mentally rolled her eyes. She couldn't get up if she tried. Upon seeing Edward stand with difficulty, she remembered his earlier statement of not feeling well and hoped he was okay. She didn't need another death to think about. One—or rather two, was enough.

Edward disappeared for a few minutes and Bella stared at the starlit sky for lack something to do. Remembering a constellation Jacob had pointed out the other day, she smiled softly and closed her eyes. Not a moment after her eyes closed, something soft brushed against her cheek and she swatted it away absently. It disappeared for a moment before the feeling was back and she opened her eyes to find a large palm tree leaf brushing against her face. Edward was the cause of this, having a few large palm tree leaves in his hand. "Makeshift blanket." He told her, for her face had scrunched up in confusion. Sitting down beside her, he placed a few leaves over her body and saved a few for himself. "With our combined body heat, let's hope we make it through the night without getting sick." He covered his own body with the leaves and before Bella could even blink, the boy had fallen asleep. Sleeping next to Edward, Bella noticed, was different than when she would sleep with Jacob. Not wanting to dwell upon this, Bella closed her own eyes and hoped fell into a restless sleep.

~S.O.S~

Jacob had emerged from the woods just before the sun had peeked the horizon and disappeared for the night. Angela was sitting in front of the fire, conversing with Felix. Upon spotting her friend, she frowned when she noticed that he had come back alone. "I take it you didn't find her?" Angela asked, although she knew the answer.

"I was hoping she had come back while I was looking." Jacob muttered dejectedly.

Angela got up and walked over to meet him. She held out a palm sized leaf with his and Bella's portion of fish. "Here, eat up. It actually cooked pretty nicely, but it's cold now." She passed him the fish, then gave him a quick hug. "And don't worry too much about Bella. I'll bet wherever she is right now, she's okay. Bella's smart. We'll find her."

Jacob smiled gratefully at Angela before scarfing down the fish quickly. The taste reminded him of cod. He liked cod, henceforth the fish tasted good even though it was cold. "How was everything here while I was gone?" Jacob asked as they walked over towards the fire.

"Same old same old. Jessica complained a lot about her sunburn. Quil made more sexist jokes. Lauren…well. Lauren was Lauren." She shrugged and took her seat next to Felix.

"Where have you been?" Mike asked; he too was sitting by the fire.

"Out looking for Bella." Jacob replied, mildly exasperated.

"She's missing?" Mike asked dumbly.

"Do you see her here?" Felix snapped.

Mike looked around curiously. "Huh. I didn't notice."

"You sure can be dense." Felix snorted.

"How's the sunburn doing?" Angela asked, in hopes to change the subject.

Mike smiled. "It's barely a first degree sunburn. I'll be fine by tomorrow but Jess's was much worse. She's going to have to stay out of the sun for about a week."

"That sounds delightful." Felix teased.

Mike shrugged and glanced over at the unfinished hut where Lauren, Jessica and Quil were currently residing. "I'm going to go hang out with them now." He rose from the sand and made his way over to the hut.

"So what are we going to do about Bella?" Angela asked Jacob.

The boy in question glanced up into the night sky. "I don't know Angela. I hope she's okay like you said. Tomorrow I'm going to go look for her again."

"I'll come with you." Angela told him.

"And leave me here with these nuts?" Felix asked incredulously. "I don't think so."

Angela laughed softly. "You have another hut you need to get started building, remember?"

Felix rolled his eyes. "Right. Whatever. All I do is build, build, build." The annoyed boy jumped to his feet and made his way over to the finished hut.

"Well that was weird." Jacob grunted, poking the fire with a twig.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine." She smiled then looked towards the woods. "I wonder what's keeping her though."

"Me too." Jacob sighed. "Me too."

**A/N: My classes start again on Tuesday -_- Good thing though, my classes won't affect my updates. ^o^ I've actually already started planning for the next Bella and Jacob story I'm going to write after this one. I've decided I **_**will**_** write a sequel to my other story Remember Me. :3 But even though it's a sequel, it can be read as a standalone story. **

**Anywho, what did you think of the chapter? I've been updating too frequently, but I'm sure ya'll aren't complaining xD **


	14. Effete

Chapter 13

_Effete- [eh-FEET] Exhausted of energy; incapable of efficient action; worn out._

The first thing Bella noticed when she woke up was that she was hot. Extremely so as though it were the middle of summer in Arizona. Blinking hazily to the world, she found herself staring straight up at the clear blue sky and off to the side of her peripheral she could make out the blinding glare of the sun. Coughing roughly, she jarred her body completely awake and felt the first throes of pain leech themselves onto her body. Moaning softly, she sat up slowly and found her head swimming with pain. Drawing a hand to massage one of her temples, the other planted itself in the warmed sand to keep her propped up. Once she had gotten a handle on the pain, she decided to check her body for the wounds she knew to be there. Gently reaching her hand down to her shirt, she lifted it slowly and studied the gash she had acquired. Before she could get a good look at the wound, a rustling sound behind her had her ceasing her motions and freezing in her spot.

"Oh good, you're up." came a surprised but familiar voice.

Her tensed shoulders relaxed and she turned her head to the side to get a view of the boy who had nearly given her a heart attack. "Just woke up." she confirmed before frowning. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth and she found it hard to swallow what little saliva was left. Talking, while easier than last night, was still a bit difficult. "What are you doing?" she finally was able to ask after much speechless flapping of her tongue.

Edward stood, albeit shakily, a few feet away. He was leaning against a palm tree, eyes turning from Bella's own to the coconuts a few feet above him. "I'm really hungry." He told her quietly. "I woke up, maybe an hour ago, and I looked around the area for food but I can't find anything. All I seem to come across are berry bushes and since I don't know what kind of berries they are, I'm not going to risk my health."

Bella released a short laugh. The action had her head ringing with pain and she groaned before holding her head in her hands.

"Oh. You okay?" Edward shuffled over to where she was sitting and removed the palm tree leaves from her lap. "How are you feeling?" he asked, dropping to his knees and sitting Japanese style beside her. Not giving her a chance to respond verbally, he lifted up her shirt and got a good look at her wound.

Normally Bella would be highly embarrassed and maybe even upset that a guy lifted up her shirt of their own accord. But he didn't lift it high enough for her to be embarrassed and she was in too much pain to care properly.

"Hm." he finally released her shirt after a couple of silent minutes.

Bella blinked at him calmly. Asking without words how bad she was now. Edward just shook his head and tried to stand up. "Trust me, it is better if you-" his words were cut off by the fact that his knee's gave out and he ended up face planting in the sand.

Bella watched in shock as the boy tried to get up but didn't even manage to lift his body from the sand. Turning his head to the side, Edward coughed as the sand had entered through the orifices located on his head. Brushing the sand from his nose, he looked over at Bella with hazy eyes. "It's so hot." He blinked his eyes lazily and brought his hand down to rest by his side.

Nodding in agreement, Bella knew the boy was as unwell as she. "Can you get up?" she asked, voice trailing off towards the end of the sentence.

Edward tried again feebly but only managed roll onto his back. "I'm so tired Bella."

The injured girl remembered that while she and the others had been eating off of the land for the past couple days, Edward had not. Being out in the hot sun without any food or water would be torture on the body and she realized that if not fed and given water soon, the boy lying down less a than foot away from her would die. This was all it took to shake her from her momentary stupor. She would not sit by and watch another peer die in front of her. So, mustering up as much willpower as she could conjure, Bella stood up and looked down at the boy. Blocking out the sun from his face, he locked eyes with her and frowned.

"What are you doing?" he asked wearily.

Bella didn't respond, after all it was pretty difficult with a dry tongue and sharp pains in the stomach. Instead of answering, she mimed eating and pointed to the trees. Leaning over, she picked up a couple of discarded palm tree leaves and placed them over his head to shade him from the harsh sun.

"Thank you." He whispered before his eyes flitted closed and his breathing evened out.

Taking a few short steps, Bella was happy to find that if she didn't think about it, then she could ignore the pain and did just this. Walking up to the palm tree Edward had been standing next to earlier, she looked up at the coconuts that rested near the top a good ten feet above her head. She shook the tree but her pitiful shakes barely shook the leaves. She continued shaking the tree for a few minutes but realized that the stubborn coconuts were not going to fall. So she leaned against the tree, breathing coming in irregular gasps. At first Bella was confused as to why she was so tired. Shaking the tree shouldn't have exhausted her so. But then it dawned on her the shape her body was in. Energy could not be wasted, she needed to find them food and fast before even sheer willpower couldn't get her up.

After her breath had been caught, Bella looked into the woods and sighed. She remembered Edward had said something about berries so she went in search of the bushes and hoped she knew what kind they were so that they could feast.

S.O.S

Jacob passed Quil the opened coconut and rolled his eyes at the whining girl sitting in the corner of the unfinished hut. "Oh! My skin hurts! When are we getting off this island?" tears streamed endlessly down the sunburned girl's cheeks. Lauren sat beside her, dragging a comb through Jessica's hair.

"It's your own fault." Felix scolded. "Who told you to sit outside and fry like an idiot?"

"Shut up Feefee! She's hurt!" Lauren snapped.

"What did you just call me?" Felix asked in shock.

"It's a cute nickname right?" Lauren looked over at him and smirked. "I would name a dog Feefee and since you remind me of a dog I thought it was perfect."

"This is the part where we walk away." Angela spoke quietly, latching onto an enraged Felix's arm and dragging him away before he could lash out at the snickering girl.

Once Angela had gotten Felix closer to the beach, the boy seemed to snap out of his angry stupor and growled. "She. Called. Me. A. _Dog_."

Angela patted his back comfortingly. "I know. It's okay though, don't take it to heart. You know how Laruen is."

Felix shook his head, body shaking with barely suppressed rage. "_Feefee._ She called me _Feefee_!"

Angela opened her arms to give him a hug and Felix stalked past her. Dropping her arms, she sighed and watched Felix walk over to where he had begun making the second hut. Jacob had already gathered enough sticks for one wall but had stopped when Quil woke up from Jessica's complaints. No one had given him his daily coconut so Jacob took it upon himself to give his friend his breakfast.

"Out of all the things for them to manage to keep from the ship-wreck, a comb? Really?" Jacob had walked over to where Angela stood and was shaking his head with annoyance.

"I know." She smiled up at him ruefully. "Where did Mike go?"

Jacob nodded towards the woods. "He's helping with gathering the sticks. But he's so slow."

Angela watched the boy they were talking about, exit from the woods with a few sticks in his arms. Leisurely the boy walked over to the pile of accumulating sticks and dropped his load. Afterwards, he gave a brief hello to Felix before heading back to the woods. The whole escapade took all of five minutes. "Wow, he really is slow." Angela frowned before glancing back up into Jacob's distraught face.

"She still isn't back yet." Jacob stated, eyes raking over the beach for his lost friend. "Something must've happened." His face seemed to fall at the thought and Angela noticed he seemed paler.

"Jacob, maybe you and Mike should go out looking for her. I think if there's two of you, you might be able to find her."

Jacob nodded once in affirmance. "Me too. But why Mike? Don't you want to help me find her?"

Angela nodded sadly. "Unfortunately if I leave, then Felix will probably massacre the girls, there will be no one to gather the sticks and Quil will be forgotten."

A short laugh from Jacob and then he gave the girl a quick hug. "Okay. We'll be back before sunset." Jacob then headed for the woods where he knew Mike to be slacking off.

"Check the beach! I'm sure Bella wouldn't have slept in the woods last night." Angela called to him from her spot.

Jacob nodded and waved to show he heard her, then went in search for Mike so that they could comb the woods for Bella.

S.O.S

Bella lifted the dark colored berry closer to her eyes and rolled it between her thumb and index finger. She applied to much pressure and accidentally busted the supple skin of the berry causing dark purple juice to run down her fingers. It smelled sweet, but so did most berries. Bella had a strange feeling this berry wasn't one to be consumed and dropped it quickly before wiping the juices off onto her dirty capris.

Moving on to survey another bush, she made sure she stuck close to the beach for fear of losing her way and leaving Edward to fend for himself. A few feet away from her previous spot she spotted a brightly colored bush fraught with yellow berries. Nearly foaming at the mouth, Bella rushed to the bush and reached out to snatch a bright berry, only to squeal and retract her hand when the bush pricked her finger. Eyes narrowing, she noticed that the bush was littered with thorns. Being mindful of this fact, she reached out more carefully and plucked a yellow berry from the bush. A small smile broke out across her face when she realized that she knew what kind of berry it was _and_ that it was edible. Bringing the berry to her lips she opened her mouth and dropped it on her tongue. Immediately her teeth came down and smashed the berry down to a pulp within seconds. The sweet liquid coursed over Bella's taste buds and her eyes closed in appreciation to the taste.

Not being one to dawdle, Bella quickly, but cautiously loaded up her shirt with the berries. Keeping one hand holding her shirt up to keep the berries in their spot, she used her free hand to deplete half of the bushes' stash. After eating a few more, she made her way back to where Edward was lying down and sat beside him. Removing the palm tree leaves, she poked him in his cheek then pointed to the berries she had acquired. The boy being as tired as she, he could barely lift up his hands to eat them. Bella watched him pitifully eat a couple berries and new she was going to have to feed him herself. So she brushed his weak hand aside and held a few berries above his open mouth. She dropped them into his mouth one at a time until he had a mouth full and she waited for him to chew and swallow before repeating this process. She fed herself some as well and they ate in silence. Once all the berries had run out Edward smiled at her softly.

"Thank you." He whispered.

She nodded silently and watched as the boy fell back asleep. A sigh escaped her lips and she re-covered him again with the palm leaves. Standing up shakily again she decided to try her hand at getting the coconuts again. Staggering over to the tree, she glanced up at it despairingly. Before she could even consider a way to get the coconuts down, a hand landed on her shoulder and ragged breathing gasped in her ear.

"Bella." The voice was thick with tears. "He's dead! I killed him!"

**A/N: Hm, maybe I'm not giving people enough time to read the chapters between updates. (Aka, am I updating to frequently?) My reviews have dropped…unless the quality of the story has gone down? O.O If it is the story, I apologize greatly for boring you and I will try harder to make it less boring—but what is it about the story that is dissatisfying?**


	15. Disconsolate

Chapter 14

_Disconsolate- [dis-kon-suh-lit] Without consolation or solace; hopelessly unhappy; inconsolable; characterized by or causing dejection; cheerless; gloomy._

Bella almost didn't recognize the girl before her. Alice, one of her best friends, was wheezing and from the tremors racking the small girl's frame, she was sobbing without sound. Her once short spiky hair now was in a disarrayment and matted to the back of the girl's head. Her clothes were as dirty and torn as Bella's own. But similar to Angela, Alice had managed to retain her shoes through the whole ordeal. Some grimy looking sandals were strapped to the sobbing girl's pale feet.

Confusion marred Bella's face. Happiness would come later at the sight of her friend. But right now Alice's previous words began swimming through her head.

"_He's dead. I killed him. He's dead. I killed him. He's dead. I killed him."_

"What are you talking about?" Bella croaked. The berries had done little to help her and talking was still very difficult. But after having consumed them, she found that at least her voice seemed to reach a hearable volume.

Alice looked at Bella in horror, almost as if she were looking through Bella as she recalled something from her memory.

"The accident." She whispered, voice almost getting muddled through her tears. "When the boat crashed I…

_Alice screamed as the room split in two. One moment she's hearing a commotion from above on the upper deck, the next she's screaming as the room is _literally_ split in two by a white wall. The white wall upon closer inspection turned out to be made completely of ice. Immediately after the collision, the side of the boat Alice was standing on began to collapse and sink into the cold ocean water. "I can't swim!" Alice watched in dismay as the room not only tilted forward causing the furniture to slam into her but also the water rose and drenched her feet. "No!" she screamed again but it was her last word as a dresser slammed into the back of her body and sent her flying into the deep abyss of an ocean. Upon contact with the water Alice passed out from the cold and mere shock of it all._

_She woke sometime later, staring up at a darkened sky. Shivering, Alice looked around and found a boy lying on his stomach, breathing heavily beside her. "Jasper?" she called out in confusion._

_The boy in question turned up his head and a ragged smile was given to her. "You need to- Coughs wracked his body and Alice gawked at the boy when he a clear liquid began spewing from his mouth. She leaned over him and rubbed soothing circles into his back. For the first time she realized she was cold and dripping wet. Sand clung to her damp skin and the fashionista inside of her was very upset that her designer clothes were ruined. "Learn to swim." Jasper finally rasped after he had finished upchucking._

"_What happened?"Alice asked suddenly, eyes casting out towards the sea. "Where are we? Where is everyone else? What happened to the boat? What-_

_Jasper leaned over and covered her mouth with his wet and sandy hand. "Calm down." he coughed out._

_Alice pushed his hand away from her mouth and brushed the sand from her lips in disgust._

"_There was an accident on the boat." Jasper began, answering her questions in a different order than she had asked them. "The boat hit a glacier or iceberg or whatever. Then this wave came…" he shuddered. "I saw you though. You were floating near some boat parts and I saw you were unconscious so I helped you get here. That was tiring." He gave her a weak smile._

_Alice was surprised by this. "Why did you help me?" she asked confused. "Most people would have just saved themselves."_

_Jasper looked away and coughed a few more times. "I know this is sudden but I've been crushing on you since we were freshman and I just couldn't watch you drown." _

_Alice's eyes widened from the confession and she felt her heart thump erratically against her chest. "You've had a crush on me for four years?"_

_Jasper nodded and finally locked eyes with her. "Yes. But we can't focus on that right now. That accident was insane. Everyone was knocked from the boat. It was so cold and the wind was so loud and the sky was so dark." Jasper sat up and looked out towards the sea. "I didn't even run into anyone on my way swimming here. We could be the only ones who survived and we survived by a fluke." Jasper nodded over towards the beach shore where a box-spring mattress still covered in its original plastic was resting in the sand. "I wouldn't have been able to carry you forever. Luckily I noticed that floating on the sea and after an hour of awkwardly paddling with my arm, we ended up here."_

_Alice couldn't believe their luck or rather unluckiness of the entire situation. At least they were alive, that was the only important thing that registered in her head. Along with the fact that she had just lost over six-hundred dollars' worth of clothes. "So we're alone? You don't think anyone else survived?" Alice's voice rose a few octaves as she thought of all her friends on the boat, their teacher and the captain. _

_Jasper watched as Alice began to flip out and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Hey, calm down Alice. I'm sure we aren't the only ones I shouldn't have even suggested it. Don't cry." He panicked when her voice began to hitch for crying girls were not his forte. _

"_I'll be fine." She told him, leaning into his chest and accepting the comfort he was trying to give her. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that whether she liked it or not, they might be the only ones to have survived._

_They fell asleep on the beach and the next morning was spent searching the island for any survivors They spent the whole day searching but they ended up getting lost and the day escaped them. Before they knew it, night had fallen and they were back at square one. The beach that still held the box-spring mattress. "I can't believe we didn't find a single person." Alice griped, sitting down on the box-spring with a huff._

"_It's okay Alice. Tomorrow I'm sure we'll find the others." Jasper sat down beside her and passed her a mango. They had come across a mango tree earlier and had managed to acquire a couple which they were happy to consume. After eating their fruit, Alice laid down on the hard mattress and Jasper mirrored her actions. Back to back they laid and at first silence filtered through the air. Alice decided to break this with a question._

"_Have you really liked me since freshman year?" she asked quietly._

_A short chuckle from Jasper could be heard and Alice felt the mattress rustle as the boy turned over so that he was propped up on his elbow and facing her. "Yeah it's true darling."_

_Alice turned over so that they were face to face. "But why do you like me?"_

_Jasper's brow puckered for a moment in contemplation. "Well there are lots of things about you that I really like. Aside from thinking you are cute, you are kind and spunky girl."_

_Alice giggled at his response. "I'm spunky?" she questioned. "Well there's something you don't hear every day."_

_Jasper shrugged. "I fell for you the very first day of freshman year because of your spunk. You probably don't remember but freshman year I was really thin and short. The first day had been going terribly and I had been getting picked on all day. As I as retrieving my things from my locker at the end of the school day, a particular stubborn bully almost attacked me. But you-_

"_Yelled at him! Jasper, I remember!" Alice was surprised she had forgotten the incident. She had been about to meet up with friends at the end of the day when she saw this boy about to get pummeled. Even though she was a short girl, she was sprightly. So with that in mind, she dashed over to where Jasper was at his locker and stood between him and the bully. Glaring at the bully, she told him to get lost before she screamed that he had tried to cop a feel. The bully, not wanting to get in trouble for sexual harassment, walked away._

_Jasper smiled at Alice. "I couldn't believe such a small girl could have such a big impact. You saved me that day from a possible beating and I've liked you ever sense."_

_Alice looked into the warm eyes of the boy before her. "Thanks for saving me." they both whispered simultaneously. _

_Giggles from Alice and chuckles from Jasper filtered through the air. Impulsively Alice leaned her face forward and gave Jasper a soft peck on the cheek. "If we ever get off this island, maybe we can go out sometime?" she suggested before closing her eyes and reaching out to hold his hand._

"_Sounds lovely, darling." Jasper gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and before long the pair had fallen asleep._

_Day two of being on the island, Alice and Jasper searched for more classmates and were still unsuccessful. By day three, they began to worry that they were truly the only survivors and more pressing matters began to surface while day four was just a complete nightmare._

_Huffing from the exertion of running, the pair slowed to a stop and Alice collapsed to her knees. "I can't…go any…farther…Jasper." She wheezed while clutching her chest. _

_Jasper was equally as exhausted but managed to stay on his feet. "I know. But...we have to…keep going before…it comes…back!" He offered Alice his hand and she took it reluctantly._

_They took off running once more and had to jump over fallen branches and tree roots that were raised over the terrain. Alice began to lag and Jasper also slowed down to keep pace with her. _

"_Jasper…I can't…run…anymore." She wheezed, leaning against a tree to catch her breath._

"_We're almost…back at…the…beach." He grabbed her arm at the same time the creature they had been running from caught up with them._

_A growl alerted them to the wild cat's appearance and the pair paled. A shiny black coat covered the jaguar from head to claw. Standing at half their size but over twice their weight, the animal was one to be feared. Baring it's sharp canines, another fierce noise erupted from the Jaguar and Alice was froze in fright, heart beating erratically. Jasper looked at Alice and a small smile graced his lips. "Forgive me." he whispered before capturing her lips in his own for a quick but ferverent kiss. _

_This stunned the girl into action and when he pulled away a moment later, an arm was outstretched towards the beach. "RUN!" he screamed at her._

_Her legs took off before her brain could catch up and after a few moments of running, Alice realized Jasper wasn't running with her. She slowed to a stop and whipped around to find said boy battling the jaguar. "JASPER!" she screamed, preparing to come to his aid. _

"_No!" he screamed back at her. His attention was solely focused on the angry animal before him. "RUN BACK TO THE BEACH ALICE! I WILL MEET YOU THERE!" Jasper had acquired a stick and was waving it in front of the jaguar. Whenever the jaguar seemed to want to skirt around Jasper and head towards Alice, Jasper would wave the stick around and growl back at the large animal. "GO ALICE!" Jasper turned his attention to the girl for a brief second and that's when the jaguar took the time to attack._

"_JASPER!"_

Bella held her shaking friend in a comforting embrace. By the end of the recollection the distraught girl had lost her voice and was sobbing uncontrollably. Bella didn't know what to say to help her friend. She felt the tears stain her dirtied shirt and just patted Alice's back and allowed her to cry out her pain. It did sadden Bella to know that another classmate had died but she tried not to focus on this and merely be there for her friend. After what felt like hours but was more accurately only fifteen minutes, Alice seemed to be able to reel in most of her feelings and she finished her story.

"The last I saw of him was the jaguar dragging him away." She said thickly. "He saved me and I couldn't even try to help him." Alice wiped her eyes furiously. "I just ran like a coward! Why didn't I try to save him?" Alice took an angry step away from Bella.

Bella opened her mouth and tried to speak. At first her lips moved and no voice came out. With a frown on her face, she tried again. "He told you to run." Bella croaked. "Don't fault yourself."

Alice shook her head angrily and cast her towards the beach. "Is he dead too?" her mouth fell open in shock and her body began to tremor even harder as she spotted Edward lying motionlessly on the beach. "No! No! Not another person!" she screamed, covering her eyes and sinking to sand on her knees. "No! I can't take anymore death! NO! PLEASE NO!" Alice's body continued spazzing and Bella watched her friend in horror. Unsure of what to do, she hovered nervously over Alice's body. Just before she went to hopefully slap sense into the girl, Alice's body stilled. Bella leaned over the girl cautiously and found that Alice had passed out from all the stress and probably exhaustion. Sighing in relief that at least the girl could escape from the horrors of reality, Bella rolled Alice onto her back so that she wasn't so hunched over anymore. The fact that there was a jaguar in the woods frightened her, but she considered herself lucky that she had yet to encounter such an animal.

The snapping of a twig had Bella on red alert. Her eyes zoomed in on the woods and she felt the cold tingles of fear spreading through her body. A figure made its way towards her and she took a wary step back.

"Bella? Is that you?" a familiar voice asked.

Bella started at the sound of the voice and a large grin broke out across her face. "Jacob!" she called soundlessly.

"Bella!" Jacob broke free of the forest and enveloped the girl in his warm arms. She wrapped her own around is back and her hands clutched onto the back of his shirt. "Oh Bella! We've been worried sick about you!" he squeezed her even tighter against his chest and she winced from the pain in her stomach. Jacob caught the wince and released her as though she'd scorched his body. "Are you okay?" he asked, suddenly on concerned. Not waiting for her answer, his eyes raked over her body and picked up on a few new cuts and bruises. "What happened to you?" he asked horrified.

Mike stumbled out of the woods while Jacob was waiting for her response. "Whoa! Alice! Edward! Are they dead?" he asked fearfully.

Bella shook her head at him and mouthed the word 'sleeping'.

"Oh." Mike looked down at Alice and his brow furrowed. "She looks a mess."

"Mike, you don't look so hot yourself." Jacob grunted. All but forgetting his question, he walked over to Alice and looked her over quickly. "She was crying. What's wrong with her?" Jacob turned to Bella who contemplated telling him what Alice told her. She wanted Jacob to know, but Mike was also in the area and she didn't want him knowing. Similar to Kate and Austin's deaths, she felt that this wasn't something that everyone should know. With the possibility of death hovering in the air, the campsite would grow somber and things could take a turn for the worst. So she looked at Jacob and silently communicated her fears with the boy by nodding her head towards Mike.

Jacob understood almost immediately that Bella would share with him information, just not at the current time because an unwanted set of ears were present.

"So what are we going to do with the bodies?" Mike asked after a few minutes of silence and he was looming over Edward.

Jacob sighed and glanced down at the two sleeping peers. "We're going to have to get them over to the campsite. So wake them up."

Bella shook her head. "He's sick." She managed to say and rubbed her throat absentmindedly. "Can't move much." She finished before her voice gave out. Her dry throat was becoming that of a problem and Jacob eyes her strangely.

"I guess we'll have to carry him back then. Come on Mike, we need to get him to his feet." Jacob and Mike managed to get Edward to his feet and the boy didn't wake. "Oh his body is burning up. He might have a fever." Mike mused in a worried tone.

Jacob sighed. "Will we catch a break on this island?" he griped under a break. "We'll figure it out once we get back to the others." He voiced louder. They had Edwards right arm slung around Jacob's shoulder while his left arm was around Mike's own. "Bella, get Alice and follow us." Jacob called to her as he and Mike began basically dragging the boy towards the forest.

Bella walked over to where Alice was resting and helped the girl to her feet. "We have…to run…" she mumbled. In her half asleep state, Bella was able to coax the girl into walking but she had to help keep her propped up, lest she collapse to the ground. She set off after Jacob, Mike and Edward with Alice in tow. The extra weight put a minor strain on her body and her _own_ exhaustion began to kick in. Hoping that she could at least make it to the beach before she collapsed, Bella pressed forward and kept her feet moving. The uneven terrain did little to help her and sooner than she would have liked, Bella found herself tripping over a tree root and causing herself and Alice to go spiraling towards the ground.

Alice landed on top of her and if the ground hadn't knocked the breath from her body, Alice sure did. Tears sprang to the girl's eyes as she felt the cut on her stomach split again and new pain coursed through her. Her vision tinted and she heard faraway voices calling her name, but similar to before, the pain became overwhelming and before she knew it, she had passed out…again.

**A/N: Oh, I was so happy to see you all are still interested with the story *sigh of relief* Had me worried there for a sec… **

**School right now is kind of weird o.O It's actually managed to encroach on my typing time Dx So updates for the time being, are going to be slowed down. But I am not so busy I can't give you an update a week ^o^ But English 1020…this woman wants me to spend a minimum of nine hours a week on English hw O.O LOL that's sooooo not going to happen. My professor enjoys telling jokes I see :3 **


	16. Inscrutable

Chapter 15

_Inscrutable- [in-skroo-tuh-buhl] Not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable._

Bella consciously awakened but felt too tired to open her eyes. From the state her body was in, she figured to be back on the beach, lying on her back. The sand was fairly cool so she guessed she was inside the hut that sheltered them from the sun. Her hears pricked when she picked up on a conversation taking place nearby.

"Did you see that cut across her torso?" a deep voice resonated through the air and Bella recognized it to belong to Jacob.

A mumbled grunt confirmed that Felix was present as well. "It does look pretty bad. But, I've seen worse and according to the oh-so-peppy Jessica, _our plane out of here will be here soon. I hope they have a hot towel for my face_."

A soft giggle from Angela before her words wafted through the air. "Settle down Felix, I can see you turning red from annoyance. But Jacob, while the cut is bad it could've been worse. It doesn't seem to have cut through any organs and for that we should be grateful."

"I guess." Jacob muttered. "But she's has numerous bruises and scrapes throughout her body. It's unsettling. I wonder what could've happened."

"It's Bella." Felix stated simply. "If you haven't noticed, the girl isn't exactly the most coordinated person in the world." He chuckled softly. "But she's plucky so I'm sure that the story behind her wounds will be quite a tale….a humorous one at that."

A soft touch flittered over Bella's temples before cascading down her cheeks. She leaned into the warm touch reflexively and a small smile tugged on the corners of her lips. "We're going to have to keep an eye on her." Jacob told them and the soft touch coursed its way down her cheeks again. "She's not going to like it if we worry about her but I don't want her going anywhere alone again."

"She won't Jacob." Angela told him reassuringly. "We won't allow her to."

"Am I the only one thirsty?" Felix asked suddenly.

"At a time like this, you're thinking about your _thirst_?" Jacob asked angrily. The soft touches paused against Bella's cheeks and the hand clenched. "Our friend is _injured_, and could possibly _die_ and you're talking about being _thirsty_?"

Felix rolled his eyes. "Listen _lover boy_, I'm not talking about being merely parched." He retorted. "We've been stuck on this island going on six days. Think about the last time we had a glass of water."

Angela's eyes widened in surprise at this. Before Jacob could snap at the boy, she spoke. "He's right."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Jacob growled.

"No Jacob he's _right_!" Angela began to pace. "The human body is mainly composed of water. You're supposed to drink eight glasses a day but most people don't and that's okay. But you definitely aren't supposed to go numerous days without drinking it."

Angela stopped speaking and silence ensued. Jacob was the first to break it after a few minutes. "So…we're close to being dehydrated?"

Angela nodded and looked down at her sleeping friend. "She's injured and lost blood. While we may be thirsty, she's unquestionably dehydrated and will be the first to perish if we don't find water."

A precedential silence reigned and Bella felt the words slam into her with the weight of a semi-truck packed to the brim with lead bricks. The thought of death, while it hovered in the peripheral of her thoughts, she'd never considered it for herself. But with this new knowledge of her possible demise laid out on the table before her, she couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of loss, wrap its cold fingers around what little hope she had and crush it. A soundless sigh escaped through the minute space between her lips.

"How is Edward doing?" Angela asked the teen boys to divert their attention of their impending predicament.

"He woke up a couple hours ago but he said he isn't feeling well." Jacob told the inquiring female. "Now that I think about it, he too is most likely suffering from dehydration. He should be in the new hut though with Quil. I doubt he moved much from the spot we dumped him."

Angela absorbed this information before lowering her voice. "How is Alice doing?"

Jacob's voice also dropped a few octaves. "I don't know what's happened to her, but she hasn't spoken a word since waking up. There doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her but I'm worried about what happened to make her that way."

Bella mentally frowned at this knowledge. She knew of the reasons behind what would appear to be Angela's strange behavior. Jasper's death, it had really struck a chord with the spiky haired girl and the immense pain and depression she must be feeling tore at Bella's heart. She longed to open her eyes and hurry to her miserable friend and console her. But she found it moderately difficult to pry her lids apart. With her voice box out of commission, she couldn't even tell her friends around her that she was in fact awake. Panic began to settle into her body and she tried even harder to open her eyes.

"Me too." Angela whispered. "But when Alice is ready to talk, we'll be there for her."

"Well, we can't dwell on that right now." Felix grumbled, breaking the tension that had ensued. "I think we need to focus on the main problem."

Two pairs of eyes blinked at Felix owlishly.

"Water." He stated simply. "It's obvious if we don't find a source of water soon then we're going to die and your _girlfriend_ needs it more than any of us." Felix gestured to Bella and Jacob looked down at his sleeping friend.

"You're right. So since you have finished making the other hut, who are you going to take with you to go searching the forest for water?"

"Hold up there _lover boy_. Who said _I_ was the one on this quest for water?"

"Well I'm not leaving Bella so…"

Angela sighed, interrupting the boys before an argument could break out. "Jacob it's okay. Bella is asleep right now and she's most likely very tired. She won't be waking up soon."

Jacob looked from Bella's unconscious lither frame, over to Angela standing near the hut's entryway. Felix stood beside her, arms crossed with a stoic expression. "Angela," he groaned. "We only just got her back. I don't want to leave her again."

Angela walked over to where Jacob sat behind Bella and ruffled his hair. "It's okay. You won't be gone long."

Jacob flinched when her fingers accidentally grazed over one of his own healing wounds.

Angela didn't miss this and confusion flickered across her face. "You okay?" she asked bemused. Not waiting for his response, she began sifting through his hair and pushed some apart to get a good look at his scalp. A startled gasp escaped her mouth and she released him immediately. "When did that happen?"

Jacob massaged the back of his head gently and looked down at Bella. "When she found me, I may have tripped and hit my head." He said vaguely. The memory of Austin's death and Bella nearly falling over with their deceased peer flew through Jacob's head. He remembered leaping to keep the girl he loved from falling to her death. The minor injury he had obtained from saving a life was worth it. Of course, he and Bella had sworn not to tell anyone of Austin's or Katie's death.

Angela cocked her head to the side and contemplated Jacob's answer. She didn't say anything but Jacob tell from the look in her eye, that she knew something was up.

"Does the word _'infection'_ mean anything to you or your _girlfriend_?" Felix grunted before rolling his eyes.

"Shut up Felix! Bella would've died if I hadn't-

"Died? What are you talking about?" Angela's eyes widened into spherical orbs containing shocked surprise at Jacob's words.

"Nothing!" Jacob stood abruptly. "We need to find water right?" he looked down at Bella and shook an errant thought from his head. "We need to find water." He restated. "Come on Felix, let's go get Mike and then search for some."

Before Felix could rudely decline, Jacob hurried out of the hut to go gather Mike for their three-man-squad.

"I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on Bella, Alice and Edward." Angela whispered quietly.

Felix snorted. "Don't die with the squeaky voiced duo out there."

Angela softly chuckled. "I won't." She paused, then leaned forward and gave Felix a quick hug.

The hut maker froze from the contact and Angela released him before he could gather his thoughts. "Make sure you three stay safe. It seems like every time someone goes into that forest, they come out hurt or days later."

"We'll be fine." Felix told her reassuringly before a smirk appeared on his face. "But if you feel we're going to die, then maybe something a little more intimate than a hug is in order?" he waggled his eyebrows at the blushing glasses wearing female.

Speechless, she shoved him playfully towards the entryway. "You should go meet up with Jacob and Mike. I'm sure they are ready to go."

Felix chuckled but allowed Angela to usher him out of the hut.

~S.O.S~

Alice sat quietly inside the hut with the others. Knees pulled close to her body, she had her arms wrapped around them while her head rested on her thighs. Her feet lay flat in the sand and a small sob escaped her throat.

"What is wrong with her?" Lauren asked for the umpteenth time. "She's been all mopey since they carried her back here." Lauren crossed her arms and threw a coconut to the ground. The hairy fruit knocked into Alice's foot and the depressed girl didn't even acknowledged the assault.

"Hey, leave her alone. She's obviously sad about something." Quil griped, narrowing his eyes at Lauren.

The rebuked girl huffed in response. "It can't be that bad. Like, hello! We're stuck on a stupid island. What could be worse than that?"

"Oh my gosh! I lost the comb! Where is the comb?" Jessica suddenly screamed.

Lauren turned to look at the frantic girl. "What do you mean you _lost the comb_? How are we supposed to do our _hair_?"  
>Jessica began pulling at her own hair in complete dismay. "I don't know Lauren! One minute it was here and the next, gone!"<p>

"We have to find it!"

"Maybe I left it by the shore!"

"Let's go!" Lauren grabbed Jessica's arm and made a mad dash for the beach.

Quil watched the hectic girls race towards the beach and rolled his eyes before looking over at Edward and Alice. "And you all don't believe me when I say girls are insane."

Edward rolled his eyes over to look at Quil. "No Quil, because when you say it, you are just being sexist." Edward sat up slowly and leaned his back against the hut.

"What you call _sexist_, I call _chauvinistic_." Quil smiled.

Edward's brow furrowed. "Uh Quil, do you know what chauvinistic means?"

Quil nodded jovially. "Yes! Felix taught me that it's a compliment towards males."

Edward chuckled to himself at Quil's blissful ignorance. "This is a nice hut. How did everyone make it?"

"Not _everyone_. This was mainly Felix. He completed this hut yesterday and I had to get dragged in here. Not the most pleasant experience, let me tell you. But it was worth it. I'm closer to everyone now and not as isolated. Isolation was so boring." Quil's shoulders sagged.

"I'm not quite sure I follow." Edward raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sit here all day?"

Quil pointed to his broken foot. "That puts a damper on my whole 'walking/running/mobility'."

Edward looked at the foot with curiously. "Quil, you remember how my dad is a doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I can help you with your foot."

Quil's eyes widened comically. "Really?"

"Yes. But I must warn you-

"Dude! I don't care! Fix it!"

Edward crawled over to where Quil sat a few feet away. The movement was difficult for him was so difficult for her was so tired. But he managed it and sat Indian style in front Quil's foot. Lifting it carefully in his hand, he looked to Quil for any signs of pain. Quil kept a blank face and Edward was perturbed by this. "Doesn't it hurt?"

Quil shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, that's both good and bad."

"Why?"

Edward noticed the swollen foot had a particular bulge on the side. Poking this bulge gently cause a hiss to escape through Quil's teeth. "Don't do that!"

"You're foot isn't broken Quil." Edward told him. "It's dislocated. If I pop it back into place, it'll be able to heal properly and the swelling should go down in a few days."

Quil absorbed this information and a smile broke out across his face. "Will I be able to walk?"

"It will be sore at first, but yes. You will be able to do it physically."

"Do it! Fix it!"

"But Quil, I have to warn you that-

"I don't care! Do it!"

"No Quil, I really have to tell you that-

"EDWARD! FIX MY FOOT THIS INSTA-

Edward jerked his arm to the right, snapping Quil's foot up and popping the bone back into it's socket with a sickening snap. The bulge immediately disappeared as did the quiet of the hut as Quil's pain-filled scream erupted in the air.

~S.O.S~

Bella's eyes snapped open at the loud noise and she sat up quickly. A headache immediately began to settle upon her and she cringed before bringing up one of her hands to massage her temples.

"Bella?" Angela was standing in the entryway, looking down at her friend skeptically. "It's good to see you awake, but are you okay?"

Bella opened her mouth and closed it immediately before clutching her throat. She had never felt so thirsty in her life. As hot and dry as the desert, she didn't even have any saliva left to moisten her now dry and chapped lips. Her mouth was bad, but as she blinked, she an itchy irritated feeling began to engulf her eyes. She knew what was happening and it frightened her. Her body's natural mucus that covered her eyes was beginning to dry up which in turn would make her eyes desiccated. This itchy pain just added to the numerous aches throughout her body.

"Bella, you okay?" Angela sat down in front of her friend and removed Bella's hand from her throat. "What's wrong?"

Bella opened her mouth but without the slickness of her saliva to move her tongue about and create sound, she found it indefinitely hard to speak. Harder than before when she could at least produce short sentences. Pointing to her throat, Bella shook her head. She opened her mouth and pointed inside before closing her mouth and shaking her head again.

Angela furrowed her brow. "Can you talk?"

Bella shook her sadly.

"Why not?" Angela asked, confusion coloring her tone.

Bella wrote the word 'water' in the sand beside her.

Angela read it and looked at Bella sadly. "This isn't good. You _need_ water. It's a good thing Jacob-

Bella shot up from the ground immediately and rushed towards the entryway. Angela reached out and grabbed the dehydrated girls' arm. "Where are you going?"

Bella shook Angela's hand off her arm and tried to leave again, but the sudden movement was doing strange things to her balance. She soon found her body slumped against the hut's wall and the world spinning around her.

Angela was soon beside her and a hand was placed on her shoulder. "Bella, you are sick. You can't go anywhere. What's wrong?"

Bella's breathing became ragged and she collapsed to her knee's a quickly spelled out her worries in the sand.

Reading the word seven words written in the sand, Angela paled and began to shake. "Oh no!"

Bella looked down at the words she had written and knew that Jacob, Felix and Mike were in danger. She had written 'There is a jaguar in the woods'.

**A/N: Ugh! It's been what, 2 weeks? O.o Sorry about that; this story usually writes itself. But this chapter was….being difficult ¬¬ I had to rewrite the entire thing five times because it just wouldn't come out right Dx I apologize once again for making you wait so long, let's hope I can get the next chapter out quicker (^_^;;) **

**THANK YOU to all of my lovely reviewers who reviewed in the past and will review again in the future. YOU are the reason I continue updating ^o^ And as always, thank you to everyone who fav/alert this story :3**


	17. Temerarious

Chapter 16

_Temerarious- [tem-uh-rair-ee-uhs] Reckless; rash, bold, daring._

Quil closed his eyes as the sharp, hot pain began sweeping through his foot. His teeth clenched after the initial shock and his screams died down to shallow whimpering.

"Sorry Quil." Edward muttered quietly. "I tried to warn you."

Quil slowly nodded his head. "No, it's fine." He grunted, releasing a terse sigh. "I wouldn't have let you do it if I had thought about the pain." It took a few minutes, but the pain began to fade to a dull ache. A breath a fresh air engulfed Quil's lungs and he expelled it heavily. "Okay, I think I'm alright now." Quil adjusted his bottom against the soft sand and winced from the tenderness of his foot.

"Careful Quil." Edward cautioned.

Alice looked up from her spot a few feet away with blank eyes. A single crystalized tear assembled in the corner or her eyes before building up enough in body to drip over the her lid and cascade down her puffy red cheek. Losing stamina along the journey, the tear nestled on the peak of her round cheek before plummeting down the slant along her jawline and ceasing it's movements at her chin. There it sat for three full seconds before gravity kicked in and caused the salty liquid to relinquish its grip on its previous host. Falling forth from her body, the tear took less a second to hit the baked sand beneath the crestfallen girl. The sand immediately absorbed the tear and soon an escapade of tears plummeted down the same path as they made their venture.

A soft sob escaped from Alice's parted lips and it was at that moment that Lauren and Jessica returned.

"Oh she's crying _again_?" Lauren complained, walking over to Alice and looming over the girl with her hands on her hips. "_Nothing_ is ever _that_ serious! I mean, _come on_! Do _you_ see _me_ and _Jess_ crying over the comb _she_ lost?"

"Hey! I didn't mean to lose it!" Jessica retorted defensively.

"Yeah, but you did. And now our hair is going to look as bad as hers." Lauren gestured towards Alice and Jessica shuddered.

"Will you both _SHUT UP?_" Quil screamed, pulling at his hair. "_You two are some of the most foul mouth beings I have ever had the disgrace to know! What in the world is wrong with you? Alice is OBVIOUSLY distraught over something and you have the gall to harass her in this state? You have no lives—you are truly concerned over your hair? Really? You're HAIR? We could DIE on this island! Have you forgotten this ISN'T a VACATION? For the last and final time, do everyone a favor and just SHUT UP!" _

Rendered utterly speechless Lauren and Jessica merely gaped at Quil whom face was bright red with anger. Edward looked from Quil to Laruen and Jessica. Keeping a poker face even though he wished to chuckle, he opened his mouth to speak but before he could mutter a single word, his body was wracked with coughs and had him doubling over in a fit. This rough retching caused the tension to break and the two scolded girls retreated quickly from the hut.

"Oh ew! He's sick and probably contagious!" Jessica griped as she and Lauren headed for the shore.

"Will we ever get off this island?" Lauren whined and that was the last the trio inside the hut could hear of the girls for they were no longer within earshot.

After the duo had departed, Edward continued coughing and even managed to spew forth a clear liquid which he immediately covered with sand. "Dude! Are you okay?" Quil asked in horror when Edward continued to cough and dry heave horrendously.

It took him a moment to gather his bearings but when he did he nodded sullenly. "Yeah," he rasped. "I'm okay." His breathing was ragged, but with the coughs subsiding, Edward sat up slowly and leaned his back against the hut beside Quil. "At least, I hope I'm okay." He murmured softly.

Silence rang through the air for a few minutes, and even Alice's sobs had diminished. Wiping her reddened eyes furiously, she looked up and locked gazes with Quil.

"Thank you." She said thickly.

Quil merely shrugged and sent her a small smile. "No problem."

~S.O.S~

"Are we lost?" Mike asked for the fifth time that hour.

"No Mike, I have a map so of course I know where we're going." Jacob answered seriously.

"You have a map?" Mike's eyes widened happily at this knowledge. "Whoa! How did you obtain it?"

Felix and Jacob exchanged glances. "Oh well Mike," Felix began as he jumped over a risen tree root. "While we were fishing, we found this bottle just floating along in the sea. After fishing it out, we realized that inside the bottle was a rolled up piece of paper. It took a while, but we were able to remove the paper and at first we were confused. It was just a bunch of random numbers." Felix clapped his hands together suddenly and startled Mike who was very much engrossed with the story. "That's when we realized it was morose code!" Jacob covered his mouth to contain the guffaws that threatened to escape from his windpipe. "Luckily, with Jacob's father being a fisherman, he was able to decode said message and it gave us the location of where the map is so no Mike. We are not lost. We are on the right path right now that will lead us to the map."

Mike grinned and fist pumped the air. "That's great! So is it farther ahead? I'll lead the way!" The enthusiastic teen began barreling through the woods and once he was far enough ahead, Jacob finally released the gut roaring laugh that Felix had induced. Felix, too, chuckled as well.

"I can't…believe…he fell…for that…story!" Jacob managed to say between fits of laughter.

"I know right." Felix shook his head in at the notion.

"The story was so stupid though—what does my father being a fisherman have to do with morose code?"

Felix shrugged. "Dude, I don't know. It just flowed."

Jacob snickered. "_Flowed_, oh you're so funny. Cracking fisherman jokes on me now are we?"

Felix rolled his eyes. "Unintentional."

The pair continued walking through the forest when all of a sudden they heard Mike squeal.

Fear tangled through the air like before settling upon their shoulders like a heavy weight. Immediately their feet picked up the pace and soon the stumbling duo was breaking through the trees and slowing to a stop in a small clearing. The source of Mike's outburst was apparent and a smile soon etched its way onto Felix's face.

"Water! We found water!" Mike sang happily before rushing forth to the sparkling pond siting stagnant in the middle of the clearing. About the size half a track field sat the shimmering pond. Surrounded by trees a few leaves had sprinkled themselves onto the pond and upon closer inspection, even a few fish happened to inhabit the water as well.

Jacob eyed the pond warily. There was something about it that wasn't sitting well with his subconscious. A nagging reminder was tugging at his thoughts and he found his eyes narrowing as he tried to remember something that his brain obviously wanted him to remember.

"Oh it's so good!" Mike crooned as he dipped his hands into the water and brought it to his lips before thirstily gulping down the surprisingly cool water.

"Calm down Mike and save some for the fishes." Felix teased before walking over to where Mike sat.

Suddenly, it hit Jacob like a ton of bricks, his sudden wariness. He looked on in horror as Felix dipped his hands into the water, cupping them, and bringing them to his lips. "NO!" Jacob screamed before dashing forth and pushing Felix's hands apart, dispersing the water back into the lake.

"Jacob! What the-

"You can't drink stationary water!" Jacob interjected. "Think about what's been done to this water!"

Felix looked down at the pond and noticed for the first time the subtle murky coloring of the pond. Along with numerous critters swimming in its depths.

"This water is most likely contaminated with not only bugs but possibly parasites too. We need to find a river not a pond. This water will only make us sick."

Felix nodded and sighed. "And we were so close to finding solace. Dagnabbit!"

Jacob's head drooped and he sighed. "I know. We just have to keep looking I guess."

A sudden slurping noise filled the air and Jacob suddenly remembered it wasn't just he and Felix at the pond. Two full-moon shaped eyes turned their gazes on Mike who was happily gulping down the pond water like there was no tomorrow.

"What's all that can happen from drinking the water?" Felix asked Jacob as they watched Mike consume his weight and then some of the water.

"Well, it can cause an upset stomach, vomiting and possibly diarrhea. If he's consumed any parasites, then we won't be able to tell very well, but he'll be even hungrier than the rest of us."

Felix sighed and combed his fingers through his scraggly dark hair. "That boy—as clueless as ever. I would _not_ want to be him right now."

Jacob also sighed and prepared to walk over to Mike and cease his ministrations. "Me either." He responded before placing a hand on Mike's shoulder and pulling him away from the water. "Uh Mike, there's something I have to tell you."

~S.O.S~

Angela sat Bella down for the third time, this time taking a seat next to the girl and resting her arm across Bella's shoulders. "Stop getting up. You're sick." Angela murmured quietly. "We're just going to have to wait for the boys to come back. It's no use going out there looking for 'em when we'll only manage to get lost."

Bella shrugged off the arm and tried to get up again. Another failed attempt for her vision began to swim and her body began to sway. "See what I mean?" Angela rose quickly and caught Bella before she could tumble to the ground. "If you can barely walk, what makes you think that you'll be able to walk the forest and find him?"

Angela tried to get Bella to sit back down but she refused stubbornly. "Do you at least want to go check on Alice?" Angela suggested after a minute of silent deliberation for whether or not she wished to force the sickly girl to sit down again. Bella nodded her head at this and permitted Angela to helping her out of their hut and into the one beside it. A lot of commotion had been filling the air and it did not fall on deaf ears.

"Everything okay in here?" Angela asked as she and Bella hobbled inside.

Quil looked up at her and, unsure how to respond, shrugged. "It could be worse." He admitted honestly.

Edward saw Bella and a small smile slowly drifted across his lips, upturning the corners and bringing a soft glow to his usually passive features. "Bella." He called out softly, arm outstretched reaching for her.

Bella flickered her gaze from her dejected friend, over to the boy seeking her attention and her eyebrows soared in surprise. Silently she asked what it was that he needed from her.

Edward, energy limited, shakily stood up and shuffled over to where Angela was supporting Bella in the entryway of the hut. Being nearly as tall as the hut, Edward had to duck his head slightly to keep from hitting against the palm tree leaves above. After taking a few short strides, he stood in front of Bella and placed one of his hands on her shoulder to keep himself upright.

"You saved me." he articulated, staring deep into her warm chocolate brown eyes. "I surely would've died had it not been for you." Edward rested his forehead against her own and closed his eyes. "Thank you." He whispered, causing his warm breath to ghost over Bella's cheeks. "Thank you so much." He repeated, pulling away only far enough to convey how thankful he was through his eyes before quickly swooping down and capturing her lips in his own.

**A/N: What is going on now? xD Me and my curveball-plot-twists! I love throwing you all for a loop! This was a fun chapter to write, and that ending—gosh! I'd love to hear how you feel about everything so if you want, leave a review ^o^ Much appreciated! :3**


	18. Gaucherie

Chapter 17

_Gaucherie- [goh-shuh-ree; gohshuh-ree] Lack of social grace, sensitivity; crudeness; An act, movement, etc., that is socially graceless, awkward, or tactless. _

Jacob opened his mouth to deliver the bad news to Mike when Felix's voice cut him off. "Holy crapping cowbells! Do you see what I see?" Felix had his arm extended and his index finger was pointing across the vast pond to the other side near the break in the trees. A dark figure was passing through the trees and Jacob's eyes widened in surprise at the wild cat.

"Is that a jaguar?" Mike asked loudly. "ARE WE GOING TO DIE?" he suddenly screamed before skirting backwards and falling on his butt which smeared along the muddy bank.

Jacob placed a hand on the fumbling boy's shoulder. "Calm down. Jaguars are actually scared of humans and only attack if provoked or-

"IS IT GOING TO KILL US MAN?" Mike screamed in fear.

A sigh escaped from Jacob's throat. "No Mike. We are not going to die. Plus, there are three of us and one of it. I think our chances of survival are quite high."

Mike's breathing began to regulate and he stood up shakily before groaning in disdain.

Felix took one look at Mike's now brown bottom and began to cackle like a hyena. "Oh that's rich! Where is my camera when I need it?"

Mike flushed from embarrassment at his suspicious colored pants bottom.

"You can clean it in the pond." Jacob suggested. "But it's going to take a while and we'll need to be heading back to camp soon." Jacob sighed. "But we've come so far and have yet to find water." He ran a hand through his scraggly hair and began scratching idly at the healing wound from before causing dried blood flakes to cake under his nails. Upon accidentally ripping through the scab, he felt a flicker of pain and winced. Removing his hand he brought it down to his side and glanced over at the still cackling Felix. "Mike, stay here alright? Felix and I are going to go ahead and see if we can find a river. We won't be gone long so please don't do anything stupid like leave this pond. We don't want to have to spend time searching for you and end up wasting precious daylight hours. After all, I'm pretty sure you don't want to spend the night here. So just stay put alright?"

Mike nodded his head shakily. "But what if the jaguar returns?" he asked nervously.

Jacob repressed an impending sigh. "Mike, I already told you," Jacob placed a hand on Mike's shoulder. "Jaguars are scared of humans. So just leave it alone. Besides, I doubt it's going to come over here. And even if it does, just wade out to the middle of the pond. Cat's hate water remember?"

Mike gasped from the knowledge of this and beamed at Jacob. "Oh right!" he squealed ecstatically. "I almost forgot!" Stripping of his pants, pale legs were bared to the world and Felix found his eyes narrowing in on the two toned colors.

"Dude! What in the name of our president is wrong with your legs?" He asked, before leaning over and poking the pale skin that painted his legs from the knee up. But below the knees were a darker red color that contrasted heavily from the milky skin above.

"I got a mild sunburn." Mike grumbled self-consciously.

Felix snorted and tore his eyes away from the colorful legs. "I'm not even going to mention how girly your boxers are. Let's go Jake." Felix walked away from a flushed Mike, trying to hide his my little pony boxers.

"They were a gift from a friend!" Mike replied quickly before squatting down beside the pond and dipping his shorts into the cool water and scrubbing at the brown stain furiously.

"Whatever." Felix turned his attention to Jacob and nodded towards the woods. Jacob nodded and the pair set off for the woods leaving their embarrassed friend behind briefly.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, pushing branches out of the way and stumbling over tree roots. The stumbling snapped many a tree root and caused a trail that they could easily follow back to the pond and for this they were grateful for all the trouble of walking through the forest.

"Do you hear that?" Felix asked suddenly and the duo paused momentarily.

A slight whistling escalated through the air and a bird cawed off in the distance. The rustling of leaves also flittered through the air with the scent of the forest. Jacob squinted his eyes as though this would help improve his hearing but to no avail. "Sorry Felix, I don't really hear anything special. What is it?" he asked upon seeing the bemused look plastered on his peer.

"I don't know, I can't hear it anymore but I thought I heard people talking." Felix shook his head and shrugged. "Eh—whatever. I think this island is getting to me."

Jacob chuckled lightly and the pair continued walking.

They walked for another few minutes and didn't come across any new finds aside from more trees and various colored birds. "Well, I guess this was a bust. We're going to have to come back tomorrow or something a search again." He groaned. "I was really hoping to find some water to bring back…" Jacob's voice trailed to a stop as did his body.

"What?" Felix asked, confused as to why Jacob didn't complete his sentence.

"If we found water, how would we get it back to the others on the beach?" he asked suddenly.

Felix opened his mouth to respond when realized their dilemma. "How stupid can we be?" he asked grouchily. "That should have been the first thing established." Felix pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gosh—I feel like we just had a 'Mike' moment." Felix leaned against a tree and a screech from above caused him to stumble backwards and lose his balance. As his body fell to the ground, Jacob's eyes soared upwards and locked in on the cause of the screech. A hairy creature peered down at him cautiously before opening its mouth to reveal blunt teeth and a dull pink tongue. Another screech emitted from the small monkey before it jumped from the tree to one farther away from the boys. It continued this pattern until it was quite a distance away from the boys and the screeching could no longer be heard.

"You okay?" Jacob asked, averting his eyes from the fleeing monkey and locking them onto his fallen friend.

At first Felix didn't say anything and Jacob began to wonder if the boy had hurt himself. Then he heard a squishing noise and found Felix's torso covered in a thick red mush. For five whole seconds, the scene turned gory and Jacob began to panic at the second death he'd have to witness. After five seconds had passed, his brain began to function through the initial shock and he realized with relief that the red substance was not in fact Felix's organs but an outside matter. Jacob's eyebrows soared off his forehead when Felix's hand began shoveling the red mush into his mouth and with a satisfying 'mmm'.

"If it weren't for that monkey we wouldn't have even _saw_ these." Felix moaned after swallowing what he had shoved into his mouth. "Watermelons."

Jacob looked beyond Felix and found three other large watermelons sitting nestled in a bushel of vibrant leaves. Their green bodies streaked with white were like beacons to the boys. Jacob looked down at the broken watermelon that had exploded across Felix. Half of it stained the boy's shirt and side while the other half of the watermelon lay in two large pieces, beside him. Jacob couldn't stop himself from leaning over to pick up one of the chunks from the ground. Thankfully the watermelon had landed on the ground, fruit part up so he didn't have to worry about any dirt or grit from the ground contaminating his fruit. Taking a whiff of the subtle sweetness, he tore into the fruit and chewed thrice before swallowing. A content sigh escaped the boys and within minutes the fruit was consumed and their bellies sloshed in appreciation.

"We may not have found water, but I think we found the next best thing." Felix spoke, breaking the silence that had occurred.

"A watermelon is 92 percent water actually. I think this can help the others and we won't be so dehydrated."

Felix nodded in agreement at Jacob's words before hoisting himself off the ground and dusting off any stray pieces of fruit. "So let's grab a couple watermelons and pick up Mike before heading back to the beach." Felix suggested, mapping out their next plan.

"Sound's good to me." Jacob turned to the three watermelons bigger than his head. Picking up one, two remained and he looked at Felix. "I guess I can carry two for now and give the spare to Mike to carry when we meet up with him."

Felix shrugged in affirmance before grabbing his own watermelon and frowning. "Golly-jee, these things are really heavy."

Jacob couldn't help the laugh that erupted from his lips and rolled his eyes. He scooped up the third watermelon with a grunt and help the paid, one in each arm. "This is going to be a long walk back." He mused aloud with dismay.

"Unfortunately." Felix grunted before setting off in the direction through which they had come.

Backtracking to the pond took less time than they thought and soon they were breaking through the woods and back into the small clearing where the pond was located and they had left their pond.

Felix scoured the area for their friend and scowled when he turned up empty. "You have _got_ to be kidding me! Where in the world is that boy?"

"I told him not to leave!" Jacob almost dropped his watermelons in frustrations. Leaning over gently, he set the precious fruits on the ground and relaxed his arms. "Now we have to find him and waste precious daylight hours."

Felix looked up at the sky and found the sun in a different place than before. When they had been walking through forest, the sun had been overhead. But now the sun was beginning it's descend against the sky and not only was changing from its vibrant yellow's to more orangey-pink hues, it was coming from behind them.

"Are we going to end up sleeping here in the woods?" Felix asked in disgust.

Jacob looked across the pond at the area where the jaguar had been seen earlier. "I hope not. I'm not real partial to the nocturnal animals."

"MIKE! WHERE ARE YOU?" Felix called after cupping his hands around his mouth. He paused for a second to give Mike a chance to respond but no reply was given.

"Come on. Let's leave the watermelons here and go looking for that knucklehead." Jacob muttered.

Felix shook his head in anger. "When we find that boy, he is toast!"

~S.O.S~

A moment of shock ran through Bella and at first she didn't realize what was happening. But after a beat her senses returned and she realized that her mouth was being occupied by Edward's lips. Edward, the boy whose _life_ she just _saved_ and had brought back to the beach. A teen that she _barely_ associated with before the accident. A Cullen that _wasn't_ her best friend, _or_ a female. No, just _simple, plain_ Edward. _Edward was kissing her_. The words confused her and the actions overwhelmed her. She pulled back when she regained control over her body and her face flushed from the situation. Edward took this as a sign that it was enjoyable for her and leaned in to plant another kiss upon her lips. Bella blocked it easily with her hand and Edward's brow creased in puzzlement.

If she could speak, she would. But currently the only noises she were capable of making were low pitched grunts that merely irritated her throat. Bella stared deep into the emerald eyes boring into her own. She shook her head side to side slowly and lowered her eyes. Conveying her discomfort with body movements instead of words was hard, but Edward caught onto the rough translation and frowned heavily before sagging his shoulders as though a heavy burden had been placed atop them.

"Bella," he murmured, reaching out a rough palm to caress her cheek and draw her chocolate brown irises back to his own. "You can't begin to imagine my intense gratitude to you for saving my life. I think I've fallen for you." His hand was plucked from Bella's cheek by her own hand and she shook her head. She wanted to tell him that she didn't feel the same.

A moment passed and Edward merely stood there, eyes combing her face for a different emotion aside from the already present distaste.

"I think you have a hero complex going on." A loud voice broke through air.

Edward, having forgotten that others were present, turned swiftly and looked down at Quil who was looking up at him in amusement. "Excuse me?" Edward queried.

"Well sort of. I think that was the term for it." Quil scratched his head thoughtfully. "Or maybe it's the Lois Lane complex?"

Edward cocked a brow at Quil's words. "I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about."

"Oh you know. Bella saved you right? Well, you are bound to feel some kind of way towards this fact and the 'gratitude' you have is being warped into something akin to adoration."

Angela, still supporting Bella, gasped at Quil's words and covered her mouth with her free hand. "Wow Quil. Not to be rude, but that's one of the smartest things I have ever heard you say."

Quil grinned at the stunned girl. "I have my moments." He winked at her before retraining his eyes upon Edward who seemed to contemplate over Quil's words.

"I don't know Quil. I really feel something for her." Edward returned his focus to Bella and clasped his hands with her own. "Please Bella. Give me a chance."

Bella found herself captured by the begging in Edward's voice and the pleading of his eyes. Her resolve faltered briefly and she conflicted briefly that it wouldn't hurt to give the boy a chance. Just as she resigned herself to nod and affirm to the hopeful boy before her that she would acknowledge his feelings, she felt a tug on her side and her attention was diverted to her dark-haired friend beside her. Angela looked quickly at Edward then at Bella before opening her mouth to speak in a hushed whisper. "What about Jacob?" she asked almost silently.

**A/N: Wow! That last chapter was really popular and just seemed to blow ya'll away xD Thank you to everyone who reviewed it brought a smile to my face ^^**

**My laptop had some issues these last couple of weeks and I had to take it to Best Buy to get fixed so I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter. ^_^;; I hope it was up to par though :3**


	19. Querulous

Chapter 18

_Querulous- [kwer-uh-luhs, kwer-yuh-] Inclined to make whining or peevish complaints._

Bella locked gazes with Angela as thoughts of Jacob whirled through her. Jacob. Her best guy friend. A boy who cared about her through and through. The mere thought of Jacob caused that unknown but know familiar feeling to course through her, heating her already warm cheeks and causing an erratic stuttering to her heart. Before Bella could contemplate these feelings anymore, the loud duo returned and as usual shattered the momentary peace.

"My skin hurts! It's burning like crazy!" Jessica roared as her feet shuffled through the sand and her reddened body entered the hut. Well, she _tried _to enter the hut but Angela and Bella were blocking her way. "Move! I'm roasting out here and need the comfort of the shady hut!" Not giving them a chance to process what she'd said, Jessica barged through the pair and hissed from the pain of the contact. But she'd achieved her goal and shuffled into the hut, followed by Lauren. Her antics had caused Bella to go flying out from under Angela's protective arm and after losing her balance, she cascaded to the ground. Edward tried to catch her but his weak arms didn't reach her quick enough. So soon Bella's body found a new home on the soft sand below.

A piercing scream shrieked through the air and most of the residents of the huts immediately covered their ears and squeezed their eyes together to block out the invasive sound. All eyes turned to Quil who was still yowling like an animal in pain. Which in a sense, he was. Bella had fallen on his injured leg causing more spikes of pain to shoot up his injured leg. Angela quickly assessed the situation and leaned down to roll Bella off Quil's foot.

"Quil! Are you okay?" Angela asked while she helped Bella up off the ground.

The boy in question was breathing raggedly, but his screams had subsided. "I've been worse." He whispered, still trying to catch his pained breath. Whipping his head around to the chagrined Jessica, his eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to let loose an onslaught of insults but paused when he noticed the time of day. "It's getting late." He grunted, moving his leg gingerly closer to his body.

Angela brushed off the sand on Bella's shirt and glanced out of the hut at the darkening sky. A few rays deep magenta mixed with orange stained the sky, but the impending navy saturated the majority. "It_ is_ late. Where are the boys? I thought they would've been back by now." she mused aloud.

Bella followed Angela's gaze as it scoured the vast trees ahead. "Oh quit worrying! I'm sure they will be back soon." Lauren grumbled from her spot next to Jessica.

Edward turned narrowed eyes upon the girls. "I think you would do well for yourselves if you kept your mouths shut." He whispered darkly.

Jessica and Lauren's eyes widened in surprise at his words. A sudden sniffle escaped from Jessica's mouth. "Why is e-everyone being s-so mean to us?" she sobbed to Lauren loudly. "It's not l-like we're being m-mean!" The faux tears streamed endlessly down the reddened girl's skin.

"You have got to be kidding me." Quil snapped. "We're not dealing with this again!"

The two girls looked up at Quil hatefully. "Shut up Quil!" they yelled in unison.

Quil looked up at Edward. "I can't stay in here with them. Please help me up. Let's go into the other hut."

"But Quil, you shouldn't be walking on that foot. It's going to be tender for a while." Edward admonished.

Quil shook his head and scowled at the two girls still complaining loudly about mundane things. "I don't even care. As long as I can get away from them!"

Edward sighed but nodded in understand. "I'll help." Angela murmured, and stood on the opposite side of Quil. Without Angela for support, Bella leaned against the hut to prevent from falling over with lack of energy.

Once Quil was on his feet, the trio shuffled out of the hut at a snail's pace but trying their utmost to keep Quil from hurting himself as best as they could. While Angela and Edward did this, Bella and Alice were left with the loudmouth duo.

"My skin really hurts!" Jessica griped.

"Looks ghastly too." Lauren poked the burned skin and derived a hiss from the other.

"I'm tired of being stuck here! I want to go home!"

"Me too! This place has no shower and this sand is gross." Lauren agreed.

"Plus there isn't any food!"

"Yeah! I want a delicious filet mignon with some sautéed carrots and mashed potatoes slathered in a delicious white wine sauce."

"Oh that sounds heavenly." Jessica's mouth watered at the thought.

Bella's mouth would've watered as well, but she was beyond creating saliva at the moment. Never in all her years had her mouth and throat ever been this dry. Not only could she not talk, but blinking was becoming a problem as her eyes felt dry as well. She also had frequent muscle spasms. Along with pain and headache not made better by Jessica and Lauren, her energy was very much depleted. She closed her eyes and was about to sink to the ground when a light touch wrapped around her waist. Opening her eyes, she thought Angela had returned and was surprised when she saw the pale depressed girl helping to keep her upright.

Alice peered up at Bella with a hard stare. "They are pissing me off." She spoke through clenched teeth. Her first words since Bella had found her.

Bella's eyes flickered over to the girls sitting off to the side of the hut, trying to comb their hair with their fingers. It wasn't working out so well and they were voicing their complaints unabashedly. She rolled her eyes with a smile before nodding towards the other hut. Silently asking Alice did she wish to join the others in the second hut. Alice affirmed this with a curt nod then helped Bella walk as they made their way into the hut next door. Angela and Edward were just laying Quil down as the girls entered.

"Well that wasn't so bad and it's work the quiet." Quil said happily.

"I'm going to get a few coconuts. Everyone want one?" Angela asked.

Four heads nodded and Angela smiled. "Okay, I'll be right back." She jogged out of the hut and Edward collapsed next to Quil and groaned.

"You okay?" Quil asked, eyes widening in surprise.

Edward nodded, his face planted in the sand. He rolled over and nearly knocked into Quil. With his face now out of the sand, he brushed off the specks collected on his cheek quickly. "I don't think we'll last forever on this island." Edward sighed.

"Of course not. We're city slickers. But I must say, we've been doing fairly well for people not equipped to handle nature. Don't you agree?" Quil looked down at Edward.

"Maybe. But thinking about it logically, we have a greater chance of getting found now since it's been a few days."

"How do you figure?" Quil asked bemused.

"Well, the boat crashed a few days ago right?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. So?" Quil replied.

"Well the boat was supposed to dock in the Bahamas later that day. Since we didn't show up, I'm sure someone has called and they are now scrounging the ocean for our boat. When they don't find it, or find it destroyed, they'll search the ocean for us. This island isn't too far from the devastation so we should be found rather quickly." Edward finished his theory.

"Hm." Quil pondered over this. "That's cool but this is a big ocean and pieces of the boat drifted and others sank. They could just assume that we all died in the ocean and not search thoroughly." Quil paused. "Oh that sounds so morbid though. I'm just thinking realistically. I do want us to be saved though so I guess we should all just cross our fingers."

~S.O.S~

Jacob had suggested he and Felix split up to find Mike but agreed not to search too deeply into the forest for they would surely get lost and neither wanted to spend the night in forest. "Mike! Where are you!" Jacob called for the umpteenth time. "This is ridiculous." Jacob grumbled. "We tell him to stay by the pond and what does he do? He _leaves_!"

Jacob continues through the trees and paused again to listen to for any sounds. When he heard nothing, he squinted his eyes and searched quickly. "MIKE! WHERE ARE YOU?" the flutter of wings soared past his ears and he just barely caught the glimpse of a frightened bird escaping to the sky. "Mike—where the heck are you man?" Jacob continued walking before pausing and looking towards the sky again, this time in shock. The cause for his squinting finally seemed to seep into his brain. It was getting dark. "I guess I'd better call it quits for right now."

Jacob turned around and began heading back to the pond. By the time he made it, the sun had completely set and he could hardly see in front of him. He knew that there was no way he and Felix were going to be able to make it back to camp at this point and anger coursed through him. He wanted—no needed to get back to Bella. Anyone could tell the girl wasn't in the best shape at the moment and even though they had not found a water source, the watermelons would help tremendously. Searching for Mike was a setback that Jacob wondered morbidly if it would cost Bella her life. Dehydration was nothing to play around with. He knew Bella was strong though and hoped that one more day wouldn't make much of a difference.

Walking over to where the watermelons were located, Jacob found Felix sitting down beside them, looking up at Jacob curiously. "Oh, it's just you Jake." Felix cracked his knuckles before placing his hands nonchalantly behind his head. "I thought you were Mike and I was about to punch you in the gut." He spoke calmly.

Jacob snorted and took a seat beside Felix. "So I take it you didn't find him?"

"Nope." Felix replied. "But when we do find him, I don't want you keeping me from beating the living daylights out of him."

Jacob shook his head. "That's if I don't get to him first. I can't believe that boy didn't stay. Now we have to sleep here." Jacob gestured towards the forest surrounding them. "It's so dark, I can't even see what's in front of me."

"Mike is an idiot. He better have a good reason for not listening to us." Felix scowled.

"Yeah. He is an idiot. But what could possibly make him leave the pond?"

"Who knows. Maybe the jaguar came back and ate him." Felix suggested.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "If the jaguar came back, it sure has poor taste. Mike is all skin and bones."

"Good point." Felix snickered.

They were silent for a moment and then a yawn resonated from Felix. "I am beat. I guess here is as good a place as any to rest for the night." Felix leaned back until he was lying on his back and then turned on his side so that his back was Jacob. "The ground is hard." He warned Jacob who also lied down on the ground. "I'm actually starting to miss the sand and it wasn't much better than this."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Jacob turned on his side as well and the boys lay back to back with the watermelons planted above their heads. "Tomorrow, we can search for him a little longer but if we don't find him, we should just return to the beach. What do you think?"

"I don't even want to look for him anymore. But okay." Felix closed his eyes.

After a few moments Felix felt a cold touch on his shin. "Jacob, move your feet." Felix complained while shaking his leg and feeling the cold touch recede.

"Felix, I'm not touching you." Jacob muttered, scooting further away from the boy.

The cold touch came back and Felix snapped at Jacob once more. "You're doing it now! Stop it man! You're feet are _cold_!"

Jacob sat up quickly and looked down at where Felix lay beside him. "Felix I'm serious. I'm not touching you."

Felix's closed eyes snapped open and his skin broke out into a cold sweat. "Then what is?"

**A/N: Spring break has started *jumps in air with joy* I'm too happy c; I meant to release this chapter yesterday at like, midnight but I fell asleep xD And when I woke up, I looked at the computer screen and found a page of this story that I don't even remember writing xD Is it possible to sleep-write? I think I did. **


	20. Palliate

Chapter 19

_Palliate- [pal-ee-eyt] To relieve or lessen without curing; mitigate; alleviate._

Angela gaped up at the palm tree in horror. Barren was the first word that popped into her head filling with distress. _'No! We couldn't have eaten all the coconuts already!'_ she thought in horror. Letting her eyes travel across the expanse of palm trees along the beach, she combed the trees for a spare coconut and sighed in exasperation when she found none. _'This is quite a predicament.'_

Walking along the beach, Angela notices for the first time that there actually weren't a lot of palm trees. They had all taken for granted that the island was abundant with them. Luck—it had been luck that got them this far and it would seem that their luck was running out. Angela noticed that some of the palm trees that they hadn't touched were too young to bear fruit. With night approaching, she wouldn't be able to search other stretches of the beach for the vital fruit, so with a resigned sigh, she jogged her way back to the hut.

Upon entering empty handed, everyone looked at her curiously. "I thought you were going to get coconuts?" Quil questioned bemused.

A light smile tugged upon Angela's lips. "I was but it got dark and I couldn't see very well. If it's okay, I'll get some in the morning."

Quil shrugged and his stomach gurgled loudly in anger. "It's fine and it is late." He replied, noticing for the first time that the sun had in fact set. "I just wish I weren't so hungry."

"You aren't the only one." Edward murmured, patting his stomach.

"We can try fishing again." Angela suggested. "I was hoping when we fished again that Felix and Jacob would help. I wonder where they could be."

Bella was sitting next to Alice who was sitting next to Edward who was lounging next to Quil. She looked up at her friend standing the entryway wearily. She too was worried about the boys. They weren't supposed to be spending the night in the woods. They should have returned to the beach hours ago. Many errant thoughts ran through Bella's head. What if something happened to them? What if they were hurt or worse—lost?

She shook her head to clear away the morbid thoughts and winced when it only made her headache worse. The pain Bella had been feeling for the last couple of days were only getting progressively worse and her strength was being leeched from her body with every passing hour, minute, second…

"If the guys aren't back tomorrow, what are you going to do?" Quil asked Angela.

The girl in question scratched her head thoughtfully. "I guess I'll just fish myself. But I'm going to need help." She cast her eyes to Alice who was looking up at her passively. "Are you feeling better?" Angela asked softly. "Do you want to talk about what's got you down?"

Alice shook her head furiously. "No. I don't even want to think about it right now." She replied, voice thick and eyes filling with unshed tears. "I'm fine. I'll help you as best I can."

"Should we look for them though?" Quil asked.

Angela wanted very much to do this. But as she thought of Bella's message from earlier about the jaguar, she knew it wouldn't be fair of her to ask the others to put their lives in danger to find the boys who could very much be on their way back to the beach. "I don't know. Let's give them time to make their way back." She finally answered after a minute of deliberation. "If they don't return tomorrow I think it's safe to panic and the following day we can form a search party to try and find them. But let's hope this doesn't happen because it's very easy to get lost in the forest." Angela walked over to the empty space beside Bella and took sat down against the soft and cool sand.

"Well, not much to do but sleep I guess." Quil grunted before settling comfortably in the sand while trying not to jostle his recovering foot.

A light snore wafted from Edward and Alice turned with her back to the boys so she was facing her friends. "Well they sure fall asleep fast." She whispered, being considerate of the sleeping teens.

"We're all pretty tired." Angela agreed softly. "I'm happy you're okay though. I was very worried."

Alice sighed and looked down at her lap. Her hands lay against her thighs, palms up. She could almost feel his hand in hers. "I saw a classmate die." She spoke as soft as the wind and as quiet as the night.

Angela's eyes widened in horror. "No—who?"

Alice's voice hitched and it took her a moment to get the name out. "Jasper."

"Oh Alice I'm so sorry. How did it happen?"

Alice recounted the awful details by starting from the beginning. She explained to Angela how she arrived on the island and how Jasper had been with her from day one. She even confessed the feelings she had for the boy and how he returned them tenfold. When she got to the part about the jaguar, Angela was so shocked that a sharp gasp rang through the air. "Then I found Bella." Alice finished, cheeks dampened by the onslaught of tears that now streamed endlessly from her eyes.

"Oh Alice. I don't even know what I can say to help ease the pain." Angela leaned over and gave Alice a quick hug to show she was there for her friend.

"S'okay." Alice murmured after Angela pulled away. "Time heals all wounds right?" she asked with a sniffle.

"That it does." Angela agreed before turning to Bella. "I take it she told you all this before? Which is why you knew about the jaguar?"

Bella nodded silently.

"Well there isn't much we can do now that it's night. Let's go to sleep and hope the boys return tomorrow." Angela spoke with a yawn before settling down into the sand.

Alice and Bella mirrored her movements and soon the trio were as dead to the world as the boys sharing the hut with them.

~S.O.S~

Lauren and Jessica stretched out lazily in the empty hut. "I don't like the way they treat us." Lauren huffed in anger. "One of these days, they're going to need our help and we aren't going to help them."

"Yeah!" Jessica agreed. "They act like it's our fault we're stuck here."

Lauren crossed her arms and pouted. "I hate this island. There is nothing to do all day."

"I know." Jessica said with a sigh. "I'm thirsty though. You want to go to that spring we found earlier, tomorrow?"

Lauren nodded happily. "Of course! I think there were mangoes growing on the trees too." She replied with a smile. "I'm happy we found that place. I hated being thirsty."

"Oh me too!" Jessica grumbled. "If my sunburn wasn't so painful, we could've stayed at the spring a little longer. But the trees around there provided no shade."

"Doesn't matter. We'll go back tomorrow."

There was a pause before a question flew through Jessica's head. "Hey, do you think we should tell the others about the spring?"

Lauren shook her head angrily. "Nope! If they think they talk to us any old way and expect us to help them out by telling them that we've found water—then they have another thing coming!"

Jessica giggled quietly. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Their loss. Once they learn some respect then maybe I'll consider it."

Jessica nodded in agreement and soon their conversation switched into more casual and meaningless things.

~S.O.S~

"Jacob if I die, tell Angela—

"Oh my goodness Felix you aren't going to die." Jacob grunted. "Wait, tell Angela _what_?" he inquired curiously.

"Nevermind." Felix responded quickly.

Jacob rolled his eyes but the mood had not lightened the slightest. A while ago, before the boys could go to sleep, something had touched Felix and currently lay nestled on the bottom of his leg. The cold creature had made no sound and Jacob had assumed it had fallen asleep. Felix was trying his hardest not to move but the urge to flick the creature off of him and escape into the night was warring with his judgment. Jacob had made a valid point though. They didn't know what the creature was and it was too dark to go fleeing into the woods. At the moment the creature seemed passive so the best thing to do would be to limit their movements and when morning came, they would decide the appropriate action with which to take to rid Felix of this unwanted pet.

"If it's a snake, I don't know what I'm going to do." Felix muttered squeamishly.

"Wow, you're afraid of snakes?" Jacob asked surprised. "I would've never guessed."

"Shut up Black! We all have things we're afraid of." He griped self-consciously.

"I know and stop moving." Jacob chastised lightly.

Felix sucked in a ragged breath. "I'm trying not to but it's hard when I have to fight the urge to flee. How am I even supposed to sleep under circumstances?"

Jacob shrugged but it was too dark for Felix to see. "I don't know but you need to try. Maybe the animal will be gone in the morning and everything will be okay."

"Yeah and maybe we'll get rescued tomorrow." Felix snapped.

"Hey! That can totally happen." Jacob retorted.

Felix snorted and continued lying on his back with his legs stretched out. "I don't think I'm going to get much sleep under the circumstances."

Jacob chuckled quietly. "I know."

A loud crackle split the air and the faraway sound of an angry animal shot through the air briefly.

"This place is even creepier at night. What if we really do die tonight?"

Jacob's thoughts flickered to Bella and his heart swelled with emotion. Who would be there to take care of her if he truly did die? Angela and the others could only help her so much. Plus, they didn't love her as he did. He shook his head clear of such thoughts and blinked his eyes up at the dark sky. "We'll be okay Felix. Now go to sleep."

"Easier for you to say." Felix mumbled. "You aren't the one in immediate danger.

"True." Jacob laughed lightly. "But don't forget that creature could just as easily attack me." Jacob sighed in exasperation. "We don't even know what it is. It could be harmless!"

"It better be." Were Felix's last words before he fell into a light slumber.

**A/N: Wow! All of you reviewed so fervently I had no choice but to comply to your wishes for a faster update ^w^ Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews c; Warms my heart to no end I tell ya. Oh—and to the people who have alert/fav'd the story, thank you and I hope everyone continues to enjoy this story as it progresses! ^_^ More cliffies and plot-twists await! :D**


	21. Minatory

Chapter 20

_Minatory- [min-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] Menacing; threatening._

Angela woke up first and yawned softly. Stretching lithely like a cat, she nearly knocked her arm into the hut wall behind her. The morning sun rays filtered in through the cracks of the hut and vaguely she wondered if today would be the day of their rescue. Not wishing to entertain such hopes, she stood up shakily and frowned. After good night's rest, usually she felt full of vigor and ready to approach the day with a positive attitude. But today was different and she understood immediately what was happening. Malnourishment mixed with dehydration was beginning to take its toll on her body. Looking down at her sleeping friend, Bella, she could only imagine how much worse her friend happened to be.

Rising from her engraved spot in the sand, she brushed off the excess and walked to the entryway of the hut. Her peripheral caught movement and she found her eyes drawn to the neighboring hut. Surprise colored her face as she noticed that Jessica and Lauren were up and walking towards the forest. "Hey!" she called out.

The girls in question froze in their place before swiveling their heads around in shock. "What do _you_ want?" Lauren asked after a beat.

Angela walked over to where they were standing and frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Why do you—

"The bathroom." Jessica interjected before Lauren could make a snappy retort.

Angela nodded in understanding. "Okay. Well if you see any coconuts or fruits not berry related, will you pick them and bring them back here?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and Jessica shrugged. "Whatever." Then before another word could be spoken, the two snooty girls turned on their heels and left Angela standing there in discontent.

Once they were a good distance away, they turned down the familiar path towards the spring. In order to reach the path, they had to pass by the old banana tree that was sans fruit. Walking down the slight trail, not too long later they entered a small clearing the spring became visible. Beauty in its finest, even the girls could appreciate this miracle. In the very center of the clearing sat a small crystal shimmering pond that branched off to one side with flowing water that led to the ocean a few yards down. What kept the pond in motion of constant flowing water would be the mini waterfall behind it encroached with many stones to build its height to a possible fifteen feet. The trees surrounding the pond were pale greens and few sunny yellows most bore fruits that the two girls were going to commence with consuming much after a needed drink. The waterfall in itself was a miracle on the island. The water itself came from within the earth and sprung from the cracks in the ground at the peak of the waterfall. The never ending flow of water was so pure that it even tasted like heaven. Although, to such dry and parched throats, anything would taste wonderfully delicious.

Jessica made her way around to the side of the waterfall and cupped her hands before outstretching it and capturing some of the fast-pouring water. Leaning down her head, she drank deeply and released a pleased sigh when she'd gotten her fill. "Oh it's so cool and refreshing." She murmured in delight.

Lauren giggled before walking over to one of the mango trees and knocking down a couple with a nearby branch. Picking them up she jogged over to where Jessica was sitting beside the waterfall in the luscious grass and took a seat beside her friend. Jessica claimed one of the mangoes and soon they were feasting heartily. "Oh it's so sweet." Lauren murmured appreciatively.

"I know." Jessica replied in happiness. "Too bad there isn't much shade here though. We're going to have to head back to that boring beach soon."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "I'm not up for hearing having everyone try to make us work. It's annoying."

Jessica nodded in agreement. "Yeah. But we can't stay here forever or they'll get suspicious. This is our secret place. I want to keep it a secret."

Lauren closed her eyes while leaning against the smooth rocks. "I hope we get rescued soon."

Jessica drew her eyes to the cloudless and sunny sky above. "Me too." She whispered softly.

~S.O.S~

Jacob stared down in horror at the snake curled into a tight spiral against the bottom of Felix's foot. The colors of the serpent is what drew Jacob's attention and made him fear for the life of his new friend. Red, black, yellow, black, repeat. He recalled once being in class and learning about such a snake. As the name of said snake flashed through his mind, _coral snake_, the fact that it was very venomous is what had the cold tendrils of fear to spike down his spine.

Felix had long since broken out in a cold sweat. As tough as he could be, snakes were his kryptonite. He just couldn't bring himself to get over his aversion to the limbless creature. His hands shaking imperceptibly were gripping the earth beside his body fiercely. "This has to be the most rotten luck I've ever encountered." Felix muttered through clenched teeth.

Jacob laughed half-heartedly. "Don't worry Felix. Somehow we'll get you out of this bind."

Felix snorted his response and continued to clench the small blades of browned grass beside them. "Well, can you come up with a solution quickly? I have to pee." He grumbled tiredly.

Neither of the boys had been able to sleep very well last night and were as drained of energy as the girls on the beach.

"Well, it's asleep right now right? Maybe I should try to pick it up with a stick or something."

Felix sighed. "I don't care what you do. Just don't agitate it and get it off!"

Jacob jumped to his feet and made his way over to a tall tree off to the side. Finding a long branch he picked it up hesitantly before walking back over to Felix. The boy lying down looked over at Jacob before flickering his gaze down to the sleeping serpent curled on his foot. "Please be careful." Felix griped through clenched teeth.

Jacob nodded before his eyes widened in surprise. "Did you just say 'please'?" he asked incredulously.

Felix scowled and ignored the question. "Hurry up!"

Jacob stifled a simper and stood warily a foot away from Felix's foot. Leaning forward, he took the branch and gently coaxed it under the belly of the snake. The snake stirred and Jacob paused while Felix waited with bated breath. When the snake did not move he tried again but even slower. Minutes passed and soon the sun began its ascend into the sky and afternoon was approaching. By this time, Jacob had managed to get the snake halfway off of Felix's leg. Hope began to reign and Felix's lips curled into a small smile. "Maybe I'll survive today." He whispered.

The spell was broken. Jacob made a move he hadn't meant to make and instead of easing the snake off of Felix's leg, the branch dug into the underbelly of the snake and a sudden hiss filled the air as the creature woke up.

~S.O.S~

Angela watched the two girls return from their long trip in the woods looking happy and oddly enough, refreshed. "So did you find anything?" Angela asked, knowing the answer would be no from their empty hands.

"Nope." Lauren stuck out her tongue then continued talking to Jessica about trivial things on their way to the hut.

For once, Angela was very upset with their attitude. Everyone was trying really hard to survive on the island and helping each other would only ensure their survival. But the two selfish girls barely contributed anything to help and it was finally starting to ground on Angela's nerves.

"Hey!" she called out to the pair standing near the entry of the hut.

Jessica stopped mid-sentence and looked up at Angela with a 'what do _you_ want' look on her face.

"The boys," Angela began slowly. "Did you see them in the woods?"

Jessica's brow furrowed in confusion. "No. Are they still out there?"

Angela nodded curtly. "They are. I was going to give them a chance to get back but I don't want this to be another problem like with Bella's absence." Angela sighed and looked towards the woods. "We need them and I'm going to go look for them. Tell the others I'll be back soon."

Angela trotted off towards the forest and entered through a break in the trees. Keeping a light jog, she made her way through the foreboding shrubbery and skirted around trees when necessary. She had no idea where the boys went but followed her instincts and a manmade path she came across. As she made her way through the forest, the sun crawled across the sky like a critter.

~S.O.S~

Jacob jumped back when the snake lashed out towards his hand. Returning to the warmth of Felix's foot, the striped serpent curled back up and hissed angrily in Jacob's direction. Luck was running thin for the pair, but a drop still remained and Jacob was happy for the small miracle. Since Jacob had been the one to wake the snake, it never seemed to grasp that there were two humans. No, its only focus was the tanned boy a foot or two away. Jacob saw how the snake's gaze never strayed from his own and he wanted to keep it this way.

Felix, for the most part, was handling the situation very well. His breathing was shallow and the rest of his body was tensed in an unmoving position. The pallor of his skin was one to question as it was blanched from fright. Eyes clenched shut, Felix hadn't spoken a word since Jacob had begun his task.

"Don't worry Felix." Jacob reassured him with meaningless words at the moment. "It's not as bad as it looks." He huffed when the snake tried to strike him once more. "It doesn't even see you so make sure you stay still."

Felix's closed eye twitched and he opened his mouth slowly. Making sure to not move a single limb on his body, he spoke. "Shut up."

Jacob couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the annoyance laced in Felix's voice. "Not helping?"

"No!"

The snake hissed, capturing both of their attention once more. It flicked its forked pink tongue out and bared its thin fangs to Jacob before leaning back preparing to strike at the stick carrying teen once more. Jacob dodged back upon the serpent's strike and waved the stick furiously.

"Maybe I can lure it away from your foot." Jacob suggested while waving the stick around in the head space of the snake. Swaying like that of a cobra to a pied piper.

"I thought that's what you were already doing." Felix grunted, still unmoving.

Jacob tried his best but the serpent seemed adamant on staying in its spot. "Move snake!"

Felix snorted and opened his eyes slowly. "I really have to go to the bathroom. Why am I thinking about that now?"

Jacob shrugged. Their banter was so casual, but he hoped it eased some of Felix's tightly strung nerves. By now, the sun was directly overhead and the heat was starting to get to them. Felix began to break out in a light sweat and the snake seemed to notice his presence for the first time. Hissing angrily the snake reared back and Felix's head tilted up to lock gazes with the irate creature. "No." the soft whisper escaped Felix's chapped lips before his eyes rounded in fright and the snake plunged forward sinking it's fangs into the soft skin of Felix's stomach. A shriek pierced the air and many of the tropical birds took flight at the sound.

~S.O.S~

Bella batted her eyes open and winced from the bright light filtering in through the cracks of the hut. A dull ache had started all over her limbs the day before and now her muscles all felt warn and tired. The pain in her muscles distracted her briefly of the still healing cut across her torso. Wincing, she sat up shakily and leaned her back against the hut.

"Oh good. You're up." Spoke a feminine voice beside her.

Bella wearily turned her head before slothfully trailing her eyes up to meet Alice's own. She blinked lazily before nodding to show that she had in fact heard the girl.

"So what's exactly wrong with your voice?" Alice asked confused. "It's been bugging me since I um…came to my senses." She muttered the last part. "Why can't you talk?"

Bella brought her left arm up to her throat and clenched her eyes from the exertion of such a movement. She touched the tips of her fingers to her throat before a dry cough wracked her throat and body. For a few moments she hacked and the dryness of her throat irritated her esophagus and a dark liquid spewed from her mouth.

"Oh my gosh! Is that blood?" Alice asked in shock.

Bella wiped the thick liquid from her lips as was unnerved to find that Alice's assumptions were in fact correct. Her blood pooled into her mouth and she spat it out disgustedly.

"What's wrong with you Bella?" Alice whispered.

Bella dropped her hand to the sand and slowly wrote out the word: Water.

Alice read it before her brow furrowed in bemusement. "You must be really thirsty if you're coughing up blood."

Bella nodded slowly before using the hand once more to lift up her shirt enough for Alice to see the wound she had obtained a couple days prior.

"Oh Bella." Alice covered her mouth in horror. "We need to get you help and soon."

Bella nodded shakily before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

**A/N: Omg! Two chappies in a row ya'll reviewed like crazy for ^w^ My oh my, does it swell my heart with joy at how much you all seem to be enjoying this story :3 Thank you for keeping me motivated to update-upadate-update! I was sick these last few days, which is why I didn't get a chance to update. But I'm all better now. ^o^**


	22. Divagate

Chapter 21

_Divagate- __[dahy-vuh-geyt] wander; stray. _

Angela jogged through the woods quickly. She didn't have a watch but if she had to guess she'd say it was over a half hour that she was searching for the boys. Just when she's resigned herself to turning back and checking on the others at the beach, she heard a gut wrenching scream that had her legs kicking into high gear. She skirted around bushes and jumped over risen tree roots to get to the small clearing from where the scream emitted. Immediately her eyes narrowed in on activity going on in the small clearing.

Jacob stood a foot away from Felix while the snake reared back after removing it's fangs from Felix's body. The latter was pale as a ghost and shaking visibly. The snake didn't seem to mind the shaking and slithered off his body and towards Jacob who jumped backwards.

"I'm going to die." Felix whispered hoarsely.

Angela broke through the last of the trees and ran for the snake. She noticed the color scheme and sighed with relief. Reaching Jacob and Felix, Angela quickly picked up the snake by its tail and flung it with all her might towards the woods. The snake, caught off guard, didn't have a chance to attack Angela before it found its body soaring through the air. "Well that takes care of that." She murmured, watching the snake scurry away before turning back to the boys. "Are you both okay?" she asked softly.

Jacob nodded his head slowly before casting his eyes to Felix who was staring up at the sky with a glazed look. "I'm going to die on this island." Felix stated calmly.

Angela sank to her knees beside Felix and he turned his head lazily in her direction. "At least I got to see you one last time." A rare smug-free smile graced his face. "Stay safe Ange. Live for the both of us." Felix lifted up his body and slowly closed the distance between their faces. "I'm really going to miss you." He whispered before giving a chaste kiss to her lips.

Surprised at the act, Angela began to resemble that of a tomato. He pulled back after a second before resting back down on the ground. "Now I can rest in peace." Felix closed his eyes and seemed to take his final breath.

"What's going on?" Angela asked when she could finally speak again after the initial shock wore off, subconsciously running her fingers through Felix's dark hair.

Jacob pointed to the snake bite leaking a very thin string of blood. "He got bit." He told her sadly. "I tried to save him."

Angela looked at the small wound and her brow furrowed. "So? The snake wasn't venomous. It was a milk snake."

Jacob shook his head. "No Angela. It was a coral snake."

Angela giggled at Jacob. "I saw the colors. Haven't you ever heard the old phrase _'red and black, venom lack. Red and yellow, kill a fellow'_?"

Jacob gaped at the girl flabbergasted. "So he's not going to die?"

Angela shook her head and looked down at Felix. "No, he's going to live."

"I'm going to live?" Felix shot up from the ground and knocked Angela over backwards. "I'm going to live!" he jumped in the air and clicked his heels together before calming and looking over at Angela. "Oh crap I'm going to live and I kissed you. JACOB!" Felix turned a scowl onto said boy. "Darnit! Now she knows."

Angela stood from the ground and wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay Felix. I like you too." She blushed harder as she kissed his cheek.

"Who wouldn't?" Felix joked while slinging an arm around his waist.

"It would seem everyone is getting kissed nowadays." Angela admitted aloud before realizing that Jacob was beside her. "Whoops." Her eyes widened as Jacob eyed her curiously.

"Who else got kissed?" he asked.

Angela wondered briefly if it was her place to tell him then acquiesced herself to doing so when she spotted the watermelons. "Oh great you found something!" she released herself from Felix's hold and hovered over the melons. "This is great…" her voice trailed to an end when she realized something. "Where is Mike?"

~S.O.S~

Alice looked over at Quil who was sitting quietly in the sand, drawing abstract pictures with his fingers. "Hey, how is your foot doing?" she asked curiously.

Quil paused in his ministrations and glanced up at her with a grin. "It's still sore but on the road to recovery. Tomorrow I'm going to test it out."

Alice returned his smile and looked down at the pair sleeping. "I guess the pain was worth him fixing it then, huh?"

Quil nodded happily. "It'll be nice to walk properly again but I can't wait to get off this island." He finished with a sigh.

"I think we can all agree to that." She admitted sadly. "I wonder where the others are though. We couldn't have been the only ones to survive." She mused.

"No I'm sure everyone else is on this island somewhere. I refuse to believe that they all died." Quil grunted, resuming his sand pictures.

"Well I don't know about you but I am pretty hungry."

Quil laughed before looking up at Alice once more. "I don't know if you've noticed but there isn't a lot of food around to satiate your hunger."

"I know." She replied. "But this is an island. There is fruit everywhere, you just have to know where to look."

Quil shrugged and pointed to his foot. "I haven't had much time to explore." He grumbled.

"I'm a bit wary of the woods, but I'm going to ask Lauren and Jessica to come with me in search of some food." Alice walked over to the entryway and paused as Quil spoke again.

"Good luck with that. Those girls are something else." He shook his head apathetically and Alice left him to his sand pictures. She peaked her head into the hut next door and found the girls playing with each other's hair without a care in the world. "Hey." She greeted cautiously.

Lauren and Jessica looked at her, giggles ceasing. "What do you want?" Lauren asked with a slight scowl to her features. "Are you done crying about whatever crap you was crying about?"

Alice ignored the girl and mainly focused on Jessica. "So I want to go scouting in the woods for something to eat but I don't want to go alone. Will you come with me?"

"No! We'd rather stay here." Lauren sneered.

Alice narrowed her eyes at the girl and Jessica leaned over and whispered something in Lauren's ear that Alice couldn't quite catch.

"We should go with her to make sure she doesn't accidentally stumble upon our spring."

Lauren gasped at the thought and sighed. "You're right." she whispered back before looking up at Alice who was turning to leave. "Wait!" she called out desperately before hopping up from the sand and dusting off her bottom. "We'll come with you." She relented.

Alice was surprised by her change in attitude but shrugged it off to the girl finally growing a heart. "Okay let's go then." She smiled at the girls before they each linked arms with her and trotted into the woods.

~S.O.S ~

"So he's lost?" Angela asked in shocked.

"Unfortunately." Jacob responded.

"Why are you so shocked? It's Mike we're talking about. _Mike_." Feliz enunciated like the mere name of the boy explained his behavior.

Angela repressed the giggles that threatened to leak out for she did understand. "It was bound to happen sooner or later I guess when we're talking about _Mike_." She shook her head and leant down to scoop up one of the watermelons. "I'd say look for him but you already did. I guess we have no choice but to hope he shows up on his own. In the meantime, we need to get these to the others. This will help tremendously especially since it's mostly water."

Jacob and Felix scooped up their own watermelons then followed Angela out of the clearing and along the small path that lead back to the beach. "You didn't drink water from that pond right?"

"Of course not." Jacob responded, bringing up the rear in their single file line.

"That's good. It's not good to drink stagnant water. For all we know, the animals used that as a latrine." Angela said, crinkling her nose at the thought of drinking such filthy water.

Felix began to laugh as he remembered that while they hadn't drank the water, a certain someone had. "Oh that boy could have e coli."

"What?" Angela asked confused.

"Nothing Ange. Just Mike being Mike and putting his life in danger." Felix replied with a snicker. "If that boy makes it off this island in one piece it'll be a miracle." Felix shook his head at the thought.

"He really doesn't have much of sense of self-preservation." Jacob agreed.

Angela had no idea where these concerns were coming from, but she had to agree with the boys. From what they could all speculate of Mike, he was certainly clueless to what not to do. "And to think he's on his own right now." Angela murmured.

The lapsed into a silence each hoping quietly that the boy did in fact make it back to the beach unscathed.

**A/N: So a shoutout is given to my snake loving readers who guessed it right about the TRUE breed of snake that bit Felix. **_Crimson-goth-girl_** and **_Iscratchandbite. _**Geez, you guys are just getting too clever for my story. XD**

**Why such a long update? My friend requested a story of me and I needed to finish it yesterday (It came out to 58 pages). So I was working really hard on it ^^ But as long as school doesn't kill me we are back to weekly updates ^w^ **


	23. Imbroglio

Chapter 22

_Imbroglio- [im-brohl-yoh] A misunderstanding, disagreement; Intricate and perplexing state of affairs; a complicated or difficult situation._

Angela was the first to break through the last of the trees and plant her feet shoe-adorned feet on the sandy ground. She wheezed lightly and leant over to set the watermelon down on the ground. They'd had to stop numerous times as carrying the watermelon grew tiresome and Angela wasn't riddled with muscles like the boys. She'd slowed them down considerably during their journey and by the time they had reached the beach, the sun was already beginning its decline in the sky.

The two teens skirted around her with their loads and walked over towards the main hut. Angela quickly scooped up the watermelon with her jelly arms and hurried after them. Jacob was the first to enter the hut and moved aside to allow Felix to follow. There was plenty of room inside the hut for there weren't many occupants. Two of said occupants were sleeping and one was drawing pictures in the sand.

"Quil?" Jacob sat opposite the injured boy with the watermelon nestled in his lap. "What are you doing in here?" he asked surprised at the boy's presence.

Quil glanced up at his friend with a smile before eyeing the watermelon hungrily. "Those annoying girls drove me out of the other hut."

"How did they do that?" Jacob asked curiously.

Felix set his watermelon down next to Jacob sitting opposite Quil. He took a spot next to Jacob and crossed his legs so as not to run them into the sleeping boy next to Quil. "Oh come on Jacob, it's Lauren and Jessica we're talking about. He probably had to stop himself from hitting them. I swear those girls talk more than birds chirp in the morning." Felix massaged his temples in annoyance.

Jacob rolled his eyes at Felix before glancing over at Bella. Half of her face was planted in the sand facing them. Her mouth was slightly open and when she breathed some of the sand blew away but none seemed to be getting inside of her mouth. "How is she doing?" Jacob asked Quil quietly before crawling over Felix to sit beside the girl. He'd left his watermelon in his previous spot and Quil leaned forward happily snagging the fruit.

"I don't know. She's been asleep all day like him." Quil jabbed his finger towards Edward.

Jacob's brow furrowed at this. "All day? She must be really tired."

"Yeah or just confused. The funniest thing happened yesterday with those two." Quil cackled as he recalled the kiss.

Intrigued, Jacob inquired about the reason pertaining to Quil's laugh. Quil began to recall what had happened when Angela entered the hut with a final huff and set her watermelon next to Felix's leg.

"Where are the others?" she asked breathlessly.

Quil broke off with his story to answer her question. "Alice was hungry and made the other girls go searching for food with her."

"How long ago was this?" asked Jacob.

Quil glanced up through the slants of the hut at the departing sun giving way to the dark navy blue of night. "Hm it's been a while. They left about an hour or so after you. I would've expected them back by now."

Angela sighed in exasperation. "I hope nothing happened to them. It's getting late. Do you think we should search for them?"

Jacob and Felix exchanged glances and pondered this briefly. "Why does everyone keep getting lost? This is getting ridiculous!" Felix complained.

"First Mike, now the girls." Jacob sighed.

"Oh I knew there was someone missing!" Quil looked over everyone in the hut quickly. "So that idiot got lost huh?" Quil shook his head before laughing. "That boy. How did he get lost?"

"We told him to stay at the pond and wash off his pants and went off to look for food." Jacob told him.

"Wash his pants?" Quil's brow soared sky-high. "What happened to his pants?"

Felix laughed at the thought of the mud soaked pants. "Let's just say he had an accident and needed to clean them.

"What were you all doing in the woods?" Quil asked surprised.

"What are _you_ thinking of?" Jacob asked in horror. "Whatever perverted thought's you are having, just stop."

Quil rolled his eyes. "Whatever you do in the woods is your business." Quil leered.

Jacob leaned over and flicked the boy on the forehead. "Quit being weird!"

"Yeah, we have a lady present. Watch what you say." Felix chastised.

"Since when did you care? You're worse than me!" Quil griped at Felix.

"I've reformed myself." Felix announced.

"Reformed? What brought this on?" Quil asked nonbelieving.

"A near-death experience." Felix answered solemnly.

Quil's eyes widened comically. All jokes aside, his serious face had tension building in the air. "What happened?"

Felix lifted his shirt and bared his snake bite wound to the hut. "I was bit by a snake."

"Holy spirits! Is that legit! Are you going to live?" Quil's tan face paled at the wound. With death present, laughing wasn't even a forethought.

Felix lowered his shirt as Angela lowered herself to the ground and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "I'll be fine. It turns out the snake wasn't venomous."

"But how do you know?" Quil pressed, color was slowly starting to return to his face.

Felix turned his head to look at Angela who was resting her head against his warm shoulder. "She came as the snake attacked me. Being the little genius she is, she noticed that the snake wasn't a venomous one and got it away from me."

Angela glanced up at him with a light blush. Quil noticed this exchange and a grin slid into place on his face. "Oh? Anything else happen while you were in the woods?" he waggled his eyebrows and Felix scowled at him.

"That's none of your business." Felix snapped, trying to cover his embarrassment.

Angela merely giggled and slipped her hand into his coarse one. "He's just goading you're goat. Don't let him get to you." She whispered to him.

"Oh la la. Whispering sweet nothings into his ear?" Quil winked at Angela who for the second time that day darkened a color similar of a tomato.

"I'm going to kill you." Felix growled at the same time that Angela said "Of course not."

Jacob laughed as the couple quarreled with Quil then returned his focus to Bella. Tapping her cheek lightly he asked her to wake up. "Hey Bella, come on. Wake up." Tap. Tap. Tap. Confusion fell into place when the girl didn't stir but continued to sleep soundlessly. "Bella?" _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. _He began to smack her cheek more roughly to get her to wake up. As panic began to set in, the girl who had shifted so she was half in his arms began to stir. Slowly her eyelids fluttered and dilated pupils looked up into Jacob's eyes unseeingly. She blinked once. Twice. Before closing her eyes and opening them again sluggishly. Placing one of her hands on the soft sand, she tried to sit up but found her waning strength of no help and ended up half sprawled in Jacob's lap. Taking pity on the girl, Jacob helped her into a sitting position but she wasn't able to hold her own and ended up leaning against him.

"Bella? You awake now?" he asked more softly.

Eyes remaining unfocused, she nodded her head slowly and closed them once more.

"No Bella." Jacob shook her lightly and she her eyes snapped open. "Don't fall asleep. I have something for you to eat first." Jacob glanced up from Bella and noticed that the trio was still arguing. Well, Quil was teasing Felix who was responding back with angry jibes while Angela sat quietly running her thumb in small circles across the back of Felix's hand to calm him down.

Seeing that Angela's watermelon was right by his foot, he scooted it closer to him before lifting it to rest in his lap. "Look. We found a water melon."

Bella's drowsy eyes roamed the green fruit in indifference before slipping closed.

"Oh no you don't." He shook her once more and she blinked back at him sleepily. "I think you've been sleeping too much. It can't be good for you." Jacob took his fist and brought it down on the watermelon top causing a great large chunk to break off and fall flesh side up into the sand. He picked up the untainted piece and brought it Bella's mouth. "You need to eat this. It will help you." He promised before rubbing the moist fruit against her dry and cracked lips.

Bella opened her mouth as Jacob continued to pat her lips with the watermelon. She took a bite reflexively and chewed it briefly before swallowing it and letting it settle against her stomach with a weak flop. Her throat, dry as the sand beneath their feet, moistened as she continued to eat the watermelon Jacob fed her.

It took a while, for Bella ate slowly and Jacob had to pick out any seeds that he saw before allowing her to eat it. Eventually Bella had her fill and seemed more alert afterward. She looked around the hut before attuning her ears to the loud 'filling' the air.

"I'm just saying. You two seem rather cozy over there." Quil teased.

"Don't respond Felix." Jacob grumbled, capturing the attention of the three.

"Oh good you opened the watermelon!" Quil reached towards Jacob with grabby hands.

"Use your big boy words Quil." Felix sneered.

"Gimme." Quil retorted before sticking out his tongue at the other teen.

"How old are you? Four?" Felix growled.

Jacob ignored the bickering pair and ripped off Quil a large chunk of the watery fruit before leaning over Edward who was sleeping and snatching the fruit from Jacob's hand. "Yes!" Quil stuffed his face happily before spitting some seeds into the ground.

"Someone should wake him up so he can get some too." Jacob said, indicating Edward.

Felix, not wanting to move from his spot next to Angela, kicked his foot out and nudged the sleeping boy in the stomach. "Aye! Wake up and get something to eat." He nudged the boy once more and removed his foot when Edward sat up slowly and yawned loudly.

Jacob ripped off another large hunk of fruit and passed it to the weary boy. "Here eat up. It'll help you get your strength back."

Edward accepted the fruit graciously before eating it less animalistic than the boy, Quil, beside him.

Angela was next offered a piece and soon less than half of the watermelon remained. Jacob and Felix didn't eat from the watermelon for they had consumed one earlier and felt it only fair to allow the others to have it. "Are you not hungry?" Angela asked, offering some of her fruit to the boy.

Felix shook his head and smiled at her. "Nah, I'm fine. You eat up."

Angela and complied. Soon the teens were finished and Jacob looked down at the fruit still waiting to be eaten. "Maybe we should split the rest. I'm not sure if we can just leave this out. It'll probably spoil during the night."

"Well I'm still hungry. So I'm game." Quil cheered, before tossing the skin of the watermelon to the sand next to his feet.

"I was hoping the girls would return. But we can't let this go to waste. I can't believe they are missing too. This is just getting out of hand. I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't just all move as a pack or something." Jacob shook his head at the thought and noticed that the sun had already set indicating another day had gone by and they were still trapped on the island. "Yeah since the girl's aren't back…"

"Wait. Let's give them a few more minutes to get back. I don't want to eat their share only to have them return and then we have to open another watermelon." Angela spoke with a smile. "I mean can you hear them complaining? I don't know about you all, but I'm not up for hearing Jessica and Lauren continue to wine about pointless things."

The boys laughed before agreeing to wait a little longer for the girls to return.

~S.O.S~

"How hard did you hit her?" Jessica asked with wide eyes.

The sun had set a while ago and they were plunged into darkness. Barely able to see straight, all they could hear were the faraway caws of birds and the snapping of twigs as nocturnal animals rustled through the woods. Oddly enough the girls weren't scared of the animals but rather of what they had just done to their classmate.

Earlier they had walked around for hours aimlessly when all of a sudden Alice had decided to venture towards the spring. The girls had panicked and tried to get her to veer from her course but couldn't convince her to look somewhere else. So when Alice had stepped foot into the clearing of the spring, Lauren had taken a nearby rock and bashed it against Alice's head causing the girl to lose consciousness and collapse to the ground. Shocked by their actions, the two girls had tried to wake Alice but to no avail. So they did what any scared teens would do. They took Alice's body and dragged her as far away from the spring as possible but in the opposite direction as the beach. Once they took her a sufficient distance away, they left her body and began to head back to the beach.

"What are we going to do when they ask us where she went?" Jessica asked nervously.

Lauren shrugged and was surprised they were able to make their way back to the campsite in the dark. "We'll just say that she ditched us or something. I'm sure she'll be fine in the morning and we'll get her then. No worries." Lauren shrugged her shoulders casually and soon they were back at the beach, walking towards the main hut.

"Oh wow. Looks like everyone is back!" Jessica squealed with joy.

"No. Not everyone. Look, Mike is missing." Lauren pointed out. "Where is Mike?"

"He got lost." Jacob told them before offering them each a chunk of the watermelon. The two girls accepted the watermelon but Laruen was upset by Mike's disappearance.

"Are you going to go searching for him?" she asked before taking a bite of the fruit.

Felix shrugged. "Maybe. He's an idiot for getting lost in the first place."

Lauren scowled at Felix. "You all searched for her!" she pointed her finger in Bella's direction and Jacob grew defensive.

"Yeah but Bella didn't get lost on purpose! Mike was told to stay put." Jacob narrowed his eyes at the girl.

"Where is Alice? We were told she was with you." He queried.

Lauren glowered at the boy. "Similar to Mike, _she was told to stay put_. But wandered off on her own. But I bet you'll go look for her!"

Before Jacob could make a retort, Lauren stormed off and Jessica trotted after like a puppy.

"So Alice is lost too." Jacob released a frustrated sigh before Bella lifted her hand to pet his head comfortingly, being wary of the wound she knew to be behind his head.

Jacob accepted the comfort and closed his eyes. "I can't believe this is all happening." He whispered.

"It's been days now. We need to get off this island." Felix grumbled before settling down in the sand with Angela beside him.

After eating, Edward had fallen back asleep and now even Quil had ceased with his sand pictures and had lain down for bed.

Jacob lied down and Bella cuddled up next to him. He wasn't sure if she should be sleeping again since she had been doing it all day, but he wasn't going to force her to stay awake through the night so he allowed the girl of his dreams to shut her eyes and fall asleep while using his arm as a pillow. "I'm sure we're close to being rescued. By now everyone must now that we're missing and they are combing the ocean for us." Jacob spoke with hope.

"I hope so," Felix grumbled before falling asleep with Angela by his side in the pretty cramped hut. "Because I'm getting tired of people getting lost."

**A/N: OMG! I was so bored X_X I had no choice but to update again lol. Didn't I just update the other day? x) I'm on a roll just call me butter :3 *corny joke alert* **


	24. Casuistry

Chapter 23

_Casuistry- [kazh-oo-uh-stree] Deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning, especially in questions of morality; fallacious or dishonest application of general principles. _

Bella awoke to a dull aching throughout her body. Her head was pounding in her skull with the beat of a drum. The only difference of the pain today was that it had lessened from the last few days. She sat up slowly and an arm that was draped over her shoulder fell into her lap. She winced as said arm brushed against the healing wound on her stomach. Lifting the arm up carefully, she placed it on the sand beside her and blinked drowsily to clear the blur from her eyes.

The sun had yet to rise but the pink hues on the horizon indicated it wouldn't be long now. The air had chilled during the night and a slight bite was in the air. It didn't affect Bella much for she had been super warm under the arm. She glanced around the hut at the sleeping teens and a smile graced her face when she saw Angela sleeping nuzzled against Felix's torso. Felix had an arm wrapped around the girl protectively and both were sleeping deeply. Quil had fallen asleep with his face planted in the hut wall and his nose was sure to hurt when he woke. Edward was asleep a space away from Quil and was nearly curled into the fetal position. She remembered the kiss and a hand drew up to her lips. Bella sighed before removing her eyes from the kisser and onto her best friend lying beside her. A special smile tugged at her lips and she removed the hand from her lips in favor of removing the scraggly hair that was messily displayed on Jacob's face.

"What am I going to do about you?" she mused aloud in a hoarse voice. Shock marred her face and she clasped her hands around her throat. "I can talk!" she said a bit too loudly and winced from the pain. Her throat was very sore and speaking loudly was not helping it at all.

The loudness of her voice stirred another inside the hut. Jacob blinked his eyes at her sleepily and a hand reached out to hold hers. He yawned and stretched his back like a cat before flopping back down on the sand. "Oh I see you're up. It's super early though."

"I slept so much yesterday." she rasped.

Jacob's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh good. You got your voice back." He smiled sleepily at her before his grip in her hand slackened and he fell back asleep.

Bella squeezed his hand happily before releasing it and standing up shakily. Similar to her voice, some of her strength had returned and she found that she could even walk, but it was very tiring and she had to do it slowly.

Standing in the entryway of the hut, she basked in the slight breeze wafting around her body. Her head turned with the breeze and her hair batted against her face feebly. As she removed the hair from her eyes, she noticed Lauren and Jessica leaving their hut to go scampering into the woods. "How strange." She mused aloud softly.

~S.O.S~

Lauren woke after sleeping restlessly. She shook Jessica awake after and a nodded towards the woods. "Let's go check on her." She mouthed to the yawning brunette who silently agreed. They hurried from the hut and scurried into the woods. Taking the path that led to the spring, they bypassed the spring in favor of the area they had dragged Alice's body to rest.

"Wasn't it here?" Jessica asked confused when they reached the area but no body was to be found. "I mean, I know it was dark but I thought we left her right _here_." Jessica gestured to the area in front of them.

Lauren scoured the area for the missing girl but there was no sign of Alice at all. Where they thought Alice to be previously now was an empty but flattened area. Squatting closer, Lauren's eyes squinted at a dark crimson color smudging the ground. "Is that…blood?" she asked shocked.

Jessica squatted down, nearly sitting on the ground with her eyes peering at the suspicious color doubtfully. Moving aside some leaves that had begun covering the dried red substance, Jessica gasped when a larger stain soon captured their attention. "Lauren, that's definitely blood! Alot of it at that!" Jessica covered her mouth in horror at the thought of someone losing that much blood and surviving. "You don't think she's—"

"No!" Lauren snapped, glaring at Jessica. "Don't even joke! I didn't—_we_ didn't murder her! She must still be alive. I mean, if she were dead, her body would still be here right?"

Jessica nodded at the implications of the question. A corpse couldn't just get up and walk away. This left a small sliver of hope in them that was soon quashed by Jessica's next discovery. "But we're on an island."

"So?" Lauren stood back up and turned to head towards the spring. She was undeniably parched and wanted to quench her thirst with the cool water before having to return to the beach.

"There are loads of animals that live here." Jessica murmured quietly, casting a sidelong glance at the blood stain that seemed to be pointing towards.

"So?" Lauren snapped, whirling around to face Jessica who had also risen and now stood on the firm ground.

"What if she were dragged away by an animal and eaten?" Jessica paled at the thought and her hands began to shake. "If we don't find her…Lauren. What if we _killed her_?" Jessica's voice broke on the last couple of words and tears began to fill her eyes.

Lauren drew back her hand and before Jessica could register what was going on, her head whipped to the side from Lauren smacking her fiercely. "Shut up right now! Don't you dare say such things! Do you want to be labeled a _murderer_?" Lauren scowled at the girl before a thought dawned on her. "Well, if an animal ate her, then we aren't to blame right?"

Jessica rubbed her cheek gingerly and cast her eyes downward. "Maybe we should tell the others what happened." She whispered.

Lauren grabbed the girl by her tattered shirt and drew her close. "We're not telling a darn thing. You listen, and you listen closely. If they find out that Alice has died, what do you think will happen to us?" she spat before releasing the shuddering girl. "They might kill us too!" Lauren pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, all we need to do is just pretend that we don't know anything. We have our spring so we'll be fine until we're rescued." Lauren turned her back on Jessica and began walking in the direction of the spring. Jessica sighed, then casted a final glance at the blood stain before following Lauren like an obedient puppy.

~S.O.S~

Jacob felt someone shaking his awake and yawned loudly. "Wake up sleeping beauty." Felix grunted before ceasing his nudging of Jacob with his foot. "Get up. We have to go fishing. I am starving." Jacob wiped the sleep from his eyes and rolled his eyes up at Felix who seemed rather happy. Looking around the hut, Angela and Bella were missing along with Quil and Edward.

"Where is everyone?" Jacob asked before rising and capturing his balance using the hut walls.

Felix shrugged and gestured towards outside. "I don't know. They went walking to find some fruit along the beach and they're helping Quil walk. Now we have to fish so come on." Felix exited the hut and grabbed the whittled spear they had made a few days ago. "With the others wrong, we're going to have to have to get Lauren and Jessica to help for when we capture a fish." Felix scowled at the complaints to come but knew it had to be done. So making his way over to the hut he found the two girls whispering furiously about something. "Aye!" he called loudly, startling them but also capturing their attention.

"What?" asked Lauren defensively.

"Jacob and I are going to go fishing and we need you to wait by the beach." Felix awaited the numerous complaints that he knew would be damaging his eardrums and quirked a brow when they didn't come. Instead, Jessica and Lauren stood up and followed him to the beach. "Uh so wait here." Felix commanded when they had reached the shore.

The girls nodded and took a seat by the shore, dipping their feet into the cool water.

Felix left the girls and waded out a few feet into the ocean where Jacob was already trying to catch a fish with his spear. "Something is wrong." Felix muttered when he was standing beside Jacob.

"What?" Jacob asked while stabbing the water again but coming up empty.

Felix glanced back at the two girls who were sitting docile on the shore. "Something is up between those two." He nodded his head towards the girls.

"Why do you think that?" Jacob asked curiously.

"They're acting strange…" his voice drifted to a stop as he speared the water at the same time as Jacob. They managed to stab their sticks through the same fish and hurried to get it out of the water.

Not needing the girls help, they removed the still wiggling fish and laid it down on the sand. It was a good sized fish to feed one person but not to feed the nine of them. So the boys told the girls to watch over the wish while they continued to gather more to satiate their ever gnawing hunger.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Felix asked Jacob as they continued to fish.

"I don't know but I think you're right. They were extra quiet today." Jacob admitted, worry laced in his voice.

"Something is up. Let's just hope it's nothing serious." They returned to the task at hand and managed to snag another fish within minutes.

**A/N: Another short chappie. No worries, I'll be updating again super soon ^w^ **


	25. Incommodious

Chapter 24

_Incommodious- [in-kuh-moh-dee-uhs] Inconvenient, as not affording sufficient space or room; uncomfortable_

Quil winced as he took a misstep and placed too much pressure on his tender foot. A light groan of discomfort escaped him and Edward took notice of this with a frown. "You okay?" he asked the boy.

Quil sighed before shaking his head. Edward and Angela were each standing beside him while his arms were slung around their shoulders. "I'm fine." He grumbled before looking down to make sure he walked carefully across the sand. They had been walking for a couple of hours after Quil had suggested it. He'd been cooped up in the hut for longer than he'd wanted and was dying of boredom. So even though it pained him to do so, he tried walking.

Bella lagged slightly behind the trio. She'd noticed Quil's problematic foot and suddenly an idea came to her. Disengaging herself from the group, she walked over to the forest area and scoured the area for a large branch Quil could use as a cane. Finally coming across a hanging branch from a tall tree, she broke it off with what little strength she had left and was happy to find that it was tall enough to stand to her shoulders. A good hiking stick it would make. She hurried back to the group that hadn't gotten that far ahead and walked around them so that she was standing in front of the. "Here Quil." Her voice was still raspy from disuse but at least she could speak again.

Quil removed his arms from around the teens and reached out for the large stick. Grasping it firmly in his hand, he used it to walk and it made a significant improvement. "Thanks Bella." Quil hobbled over to where she stood and slung his arm not holding the stick, around her to give her a half-hug filled with his appreciation. "This is much easier now. I don't know why we didn't think of this before."

Bella shrugged but returned the smile he threw her way. "Ready to continue on walking?" she asked him.

"Yeah!" He threw his hand carrying the stick high into the air and shook it for emphasis before bringing it back to the ground to steady himself.

Angela noticed as they continued walking that the palm trees were untouched and bore an abundance of their fruit. "Oh! Wait a second!" she quickly scuttled through the sand and over to one of the hanging trees. Angela knocked down four before stumbling back to the trio who had taken a seat by the beach and were resting their feet close to the shore. As the waves crashed towards them, it soaked their feet and legs with the cool and salty water. Angela passed them each a coconut and they used Quil's makeshift cane to punch in the eyes of the fruit so that they could drink happily.

"We should bring some back for the others." Bella suggested as they casually sipped from the hairy fruit. The liquid did much for the nutrients Bella was lacking. It was like a substitute water for her and even soothed her still-sore throat.

The others nodded their agreement. "I think we should too." Edward spoke before twirling a lock of her hair.

Bella remembered the kiss and blushed from the thought. "No better time than the present." She announced before jumping to her feet and nearly toppling over from moving too fast. Luckily Edward was able to catch her before gravity got the best of her.

"Be careful there." He teased before leaning in to kiss her dirty forehead quickly.

Bella sighed. "Edward, actually. I need to talk to you about something." She mumbled.

Angela looked up at the pair and knew what Bella had in mind. "Hey Quil, how about you and I go gather some coconuts and head back?"

"Fine by me." Quil said then pointed to the sky. "It looks like it's going to rain." He grunted.

Everyone cast their eyes the darkening sky that did in fact look ominous by the dark storm clouds beginning to saturate he sky as it made its way over to the island. The sun could be seen as it was directly overhead. But soon they knew the clouds would make their way over and they needed to be ready.

Angela helped Quil up and the pair made their way over to the palm trees while Edward took Bella's hand and led her to the palm trees farther down the beach. "What is it you wanted to tell me?" he asked obliviously.

Bella slowly removed her hand from his and stared out the ground. "I'm sorry but I don't have the same feelings for you, that you seem to have for me." She confessed quickly, words almost blending together.

Edward merely stood there for a few seconds while he processed the words. "We haven't spent enough time together yet." He chuckled nervously. "Maybe after we've gotten to know each other more…" Edward's voice trailed to a stop when he saw Bella shaking her head slowly.

"I don't think that's possible." She admitted. "I think I…may like someone else." She finished indecisively.

Edward released a defeated sigh. "It's Jacob isn't it?" he asked before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. A gesture he's acquired when was frustrated with things and couldn't express is feelings due to years of learning to suppress his emotions.

Bella was taken aback by his response. She was still unsure of her feelings and was really making up the whole 'liking someone else'. But Jacob always stirred feelings within her that left her confused. How did she feel about him? Speaking before thinking she just responded "Yes." Then peered up at Edward only to find him turning away. "Where are you going?" she asked suddenly.

"To collect the coconuts and catch up with Angela and Quil." He replied indifferently.

Bella knew he needed some time to get over this and decided to let him get a head-start so that he could clear his head if he needed to. While she watched him walk away, she leaned against the nearest palm tree and gazed up at the impending sky. What were they going to do about the rain? Were Felix's huts strong enough to stand a storm and keep them dry? Doubt flickered inside of her and she knew they would need to find real shelter soon. Ignoring the confusing thoughts she had of Jacob, she turned to pluck a few coconuts from the tree. Gathering three in her hands, she turned to leave when a scream from the forest had her dropping the fruit and wide-eyed turning towards the woods.

For a moment, Bella paused and wondered if she were hearing things. Just as she brushed off the screams and bent to pick up the fallen coconuts, she heard the screams again and found herself compelled to find the source. Unsure of what was causing the screams that didn't seem to be one of pain, she walked as quickly as she could through the forest towards where she thought the sound had emitted.

After a few minutes of walking, she came across a slight decline in the ground and images of falling down that hill a few days ago ran through her head. This hill wasn't as steep though nor was it littered with branches and rocks that could scrape along her body. But still she wanted to be careful, so she walked slowly down the hill. Unfortunately though, even with her careful footing, she still managed to slip and found her body sliding a few feet down the small hill. The short fall down the hill wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't on her stomach where her wound was being agitated by pressure against it. As she rolled to a stop, Bella shrieked in surprise when instead of landing on solid ground, her body teetered off the side of the hill and into an unseen hole obscured by a light covering of vegetation. A short flight down the hole and she flopped against the bottom that was surprisingly bumpy almost like it was filled with logs.

Moans were elicited from the girl and beneath her. When the 'logs' began to move, Bella shot up like a rocket and bumped her head against the bumpy walls of the hole. A groan rumbled from her still sore throat and her hands darted to massage the pain throbbing in the back of her head.

"Did you have to fall on us?" a confused voice asked.

It took Bella a moment to place said voice and when she did, surprise became the dominant emotion on her face. "Mike? Is that you?"

The boy in question nodded and Bella was just able to make out his disheveled appearance standing beside a shuddering Alice.

"Alice!" Bella crossed the half-step of space in the hole to engulf her friend in a hug. "Where have you been? We've been worried."

Alice returned the hug with fervor before pulling back and resting her head against the dirt wall behind her. "I have no idea. My memory is a bit foggy. All I remember is walking into the woods with Lauren and Jess. But after that, I'm drawing a blank." Alice's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "Oh great! You got your voice back!"

Bella nodded happily. "I did. It still hurts a bit to use it but it's better than being mute." Bella then turned to Mike who was right beside them. With the hole being very small, they were packed as tightly as sardines. They couldn't even sit down if they wanted to. "Where have _you_ been?"

Mike smiled sheepishly at Bella. "It's a long story." He looked down at the ground embarrassedly.

"Mike," Bella placed one of her hands onto his shoulder. "We're trapped in a hole right now. I think we have time." She smiled wryly.

Mike sighed and began recounting the events that had happened a couple days ago. "So after Jake and Felix left me to wash my pants at the pond, I really did listen to them and waited for them to return. But as I was waiting, I saw someone running through the woods and I remembered the jaguar so I guess I threw caution to the wind and gave chase. It didn't turn out very well though. I never caught up with the person and due to bad luck I ended up down this hole."

Bella shook her head in bewilderment at the story. "That wasn't long and did you know who you were chasing?"

Mike shrugged. "I don't know. I barely caught a glimpse."

"So how did Alice get down here?" Bella switched her gaze from Mike to Alice.

The short haired girl scratched her head in thought. "I'm actually a bit confused myself. I think I accidentally rolled down here. But when I woke, it was to him shaking me like crazy."

"You fell out of nowhere! That crap hurts!" Mike complained before crossing his arms angrily.

Before the pair could argue, Bella interrupted with a question. "So why did you scream?"

Alice sighed before slamming her fist against the wall. "I was frustrated because we couldn't get out of here. Look how deep this hole is!"

Bella glanced up and was surprised to find the hole was nearly three times her height. Little sunlight filtered into the hole but it barely illuminated the space. Overall, it was a tight and cramped space that she didn't want to spend time inside. "We need to find a way out of here." Bella cupped her hands and began screaming for help but the hole echoed her voice and it rang in her ears. Plus it severely hurt her head. Massaging her temples she looked over at the two hole-mates. "Well we're in quite a pickle huh?"

~S.O.S~

Edward sighed in aggravation. What did Jacob have that he did not? Was it the muscles? Self-consciously he flexed his thin arms that usually held wiry muscles, now was bony and extra pale from malnourishment. He thought more about his looks, his scraggly blond hair versus Jacob's dark mane. Their eyes, his emerald greens against the ruddy browns of the taller male. Every thought and comparison merely riled Edward up more until he was in a funk.

Kicking the sand, he freed his thoughts from the rejection and continued following after Mike and Angela. When he caught up with them, they were nearly back at the hut after walking for a while. The sun had peaked and had started its decline, signaling the end of day to be near.

"But yeah he's really cool." Angela finished with a light blush.

Quil snickered but it was all in good-naturedly. "He's nicer now that you both are together so I'm not complaining."

Angela smiled softly and looked towards the cloudy sky. "He is." She murmured in agreement.

"Who says you can't find love on an island?" Quil joked, as the hut came into view.

"I do." Edward grunted before stalking past the pair and accidentally brushing into Quil who almost fell if not for Angela catching him.

Helping the boy regain his balance, Angela frowned at Edward as he tromped inside their hut. "What's wrong with him?" Quil asked coolly.

Angela saw the way the boys' shoulders sagged and the forlorn expression plastered on his face. Then the comment about love…she guessed that Bella told him that she didn't have feelings for him. "I don't know for sure," Angela began. "But I'm sure whatever it is will pass."

Quil shook his injured foot and winced. "I can't wait to walk normally." He returned to using his cane and the pair hobbled over to the fire roasting some fish. Jacob and Felix stood near the fire, watching the fish cook while Jessica and Lauren were nowhere in sight.

Separating herself from Quil, Angela hurried over to where Felix was standing and embraced him in a hug. "Hey." She greeted softly, looking up into his smiling face.

"Hey Angela. How was your walk?" he kissed her forehead quickly then returned his gaze to her own.

A light blush had dusted her cheeks and she looked down embarrassedly. "It was fine. Quil was happy to walk again."

The gentle atmosphere was broken by Jacob's question. "Where's Bella?"

**A/N: I turned 19 on the 25****th**** B) I feel old xD **

**I've been having irregular updates lately…English 1020 has been killing me. But FINALS ARE OVER! My first year of college is complete ^^ So, I have a ****proposition**** for you all! I know I haven't been updating as frequently as I would like, SO! I am going to spoil ya'll for the next week! I will update every day for the next seven days (maybe longer), as long as I get at least 6 reviews per chaper! Sound fair? :D So go go go! Review like mad and inspire me to type type type! ^o^**


	26. Procellous

Chapter 25

_Procellous- [proh-sel-uhs] Stormy, as the sea._

"This is not happening again!" Jacob pulled at his hair but winced when the wound that had long since scabbed over, throbbed with fresh pain. Tenderly touching the back of his head, he felt a warm liquid coat his fingers and groaned in frustration for he knew he reopened the cut.

Angela stood beside Felix, across from Jacob, in front of the fire. The fish had almost finished cooking and the delicious aroma engulfed the air. It caused Angela's mouth to water but she ignored it and stared at Jacob calmly. "She was right behind us."

Edward, upon hearing Jacob's words, peeked out of the hut and with a sullen face, spoke. "She's just dilly-dallying. Don't worry about her. She's fine and will be here soon."

Jacob absorbed Edward's words but still seemed worried about the missing girl. Edward ignored Jacob's worries, unable to look at the boy any longer, before heading back inside the hut.

"See? She's fine. She's probably using the restroom or something." Angela threw him a smile from across the fire and watched Jacob visibly relax at her words.

"You're right." Jacob turned to the fish and removed the sticks from the flames. "Dinner is served then."

Felix's stomach grumbled as if to second that motion. "Edward, come eat." Angela called. "Lauren, Jess? Food!"

"It's weird actually." Felix spoke while using a palm leaf that he had plucked from a tree earlier, to lay the hot fish on. "They've been pretty missing throughout the day. I don't know where those girls go, but I don't care. They're less noisy when they're missing."

Quil, sitting beside Jacob, looked over at him across the fire. "True! Let's hope they stay missing forever. Maybe we can finally have a peaceful drama-free evening."

Angela giggled quietly before picking off a piece of the fish she and Felix were sharing and eating the hot meat. Felix followed her ministrations and the pair continued to eat.

Jacob also dug into his food, but slowly and he continued to look back, awaiting Bella's return.

"We may want to move this dinner into the huts…" Quil muttered while staring up at the sky in distaste. The clouds loomed ominously above them and off in the distance they saw the crackle of lightening and later heard the crashing boom of thunder.

Angela shivered as the wind began to pick up and the temperature seemed to be steadily dropping. "Will the huts protect us from the storm?" she asked nervously.

Everyone glanced towards the darkening sky before picking up their meals and scurrying inside of the hut. The fire was left to fend for itself but everyone knew it was going to be put out by the oncoming storm. Edward glanced up in annoyance as the teens rushed into the hut just as the rain began to fall. Sitting as far away from the entrance as possible, everyone huddled together as the light rain pelted down from the angry blackening sky.

"I don't think we'll be able to stay here long." Angela whispered as the wind picked up and threw the rain at them between the cracks in the hut, damping their clothes.

"Unfortunately I must concur." Felix agreed as he finished eating the last of fish. Even though they were getting rained on, they finished their meals while mapping out a plan.

"So I'm thinking we make a break for the trees. It can't be as wet there for the forest is dense." Jacob suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement before rising off of the sandy floor. "We have to stick together though. We don't know what's out there and it's late." Quil mumbled.

"Scared of the forest, eh little Quil?" Felix teased, but turned somber as he remembered the 'snake' incident. "Quil's right though. We can't separate."

They made their way towards the entrance when suddenly what little light was left, diminished immediately and they were plunged into severe darkness. "What just happened?" Edward asked quietly. In response to his question, a lightning bolt crackled high in the sky above them before the thunderous noise followed after almost instantaneously.

"The sun is gone and the only light we had was from the fire. The fire must've been put out and no the storm must be right over us." Angela whispered tensely.

"This is not good." Quil grunted.

"Wait a minute! We can't leave!" Jacob suddenly cried before going to the entrance and blocking it with his body.

Felix narrowed his eyes at the boy and snarled. "Why _not_?"

"We're missing Bella! She's going to come here and we need to be here for when she returns!" Jacobs said in exasperation.

Before Felix could make a snippy remark, the wind picked up and no voice could be heard. As the wind shrilled around them, the hut began to rattle for it was not made to stand such abuse from the weather.

"We can't stay here Jacob." Angela shouted over the loud wind. "If we stay here on the beach, we may die. I don't think this is just a storm. It looks like it could be a hurricane!" Angela was shivering from fright and Felix held her close in his arms, trying to distil the fear from her while his own began to leave him feeling helpless and weary.

"But Bella-

"No! Black, get out of the way!" Felix growled. "Right now, we have to save ourselves and hope she's okay! She's a smart girl! I'm sure she's already taken shelter in the forest. Now we need to leave!" Felix ended his statement by pushing a startled Jacob backwards and no longer was the boy blocking the entrance. Lightening flashed once more and Felix held offered his hand to Jacob to help him off the ground. "If she is lost again, we can't stay here. We'll need to be alive to find her again." Felix smiled wryly, even though it was lost in the darkness. "So let's go!"

Jacob reached out for Felix's hand and accepted his help and his words. He knew it would be unreasonable and put them all in danger to stay in the path of the storm. Jumping to his feet, he turned towards where he figured everyone else to be standing. The only time he could see them was when lightening seared the sky, which it was doing more frequently. "Okay, you're right. We need to stay together! Everyone needs to grab hands so we don't get separated!" Everyone nodded in affirmance and grabbed the hands nearest them. Jacob grabbed Felix's hand, he in turn had Angela's hand, who was holding onto Quil who was still halfway in the hut with Edward bringing up the rear and holding onto Quil's hand.

"Okay, I'm thinking we make a-

The wind slashed across their cheeks angrily, also taking away Jacob's instructions. Before anyone could so much as blink, the air was suddenly filled with electricity as the hut was struck with a lightning bolt causing it to explode and sending the teens flying into the air where the wind continued to whip at their bodies mercilessly. Landing unceremoniously on his back, Jacob moaned in pain as his head clonked against a palm tree. His eyes squeezed shut as his head began to throb and he very nearly blacked out. If not for Felix smacking his cheek roughly to wake him.

"Jacob! Get up! We have to go, NOW!" One more hard slap that would surely leave a mark on the bronzed skin, before Felix was yanking a lethargic Jacob up to his feet. When the teens had flew through the air, they had separated but Felix landed near Jacob and saw the nearly unconscious teen when lightening flashed again.

Jacob looked around blearily. The pain was doing things to his senses. His sight wasn't working properly and his hearing was fading. Standing was difficult and he began to sway.

Noticing that Jacob was dead on his feet, Felix grunted in annoyance before grabbing the other teens hand and dragging him through the woods and out of the direct assault of the storm that was more hurricane-like than storm-like.

They made quick through the forest, bumping into numerous trees and bushes but never stopping. The deeper they headed into the forest, the less of an impact the storm made on them. Soon they were so hidden by the dense coppice that rain was no longer falling from the sky and they were able to stop their mindless running and slow to a stop. "I guess we'll just have to sleep here." Felix released a sigh and took a seat on the ground. Jacob followed suit and flopped down beside the boy. With their backs to a large tree, that sat side by side. With the threat of the storm behind them, the cold began to set in. It didn't help that they were soaked to the bone and the temperature had dropped. Shivering, Felix tried to think warm thought but his teeth soon began to chatter.

"This is going to be so awkward." Jacob muttered as he wrapped an arm around Felix.

"What the heck are you doing?" Felix growled, pushing away Jacob's body. Although he was surprised that the boy was warm.

Jacob flopped down from the push and was too tired to actually get up. So he made himself as comfortable as he could on the hard ground. "We need to sleep together to conserve body heat and you are cold as ice." Jacob closed his eyes for they were of no use without light to help him see. His hearing was still a bit off, so he didn't hear Felix's response but felt the boy lie rigidly in front of him. Felix never relaxed his body, but he couldn't help leaning into the warm body behind him.

Before Jacob could fall asleep, he heard Felix mutter something that had him chuckling before allowing sleep to claim him. "Tell anyone about this and I'll kill you."

~S.O.S~

Bella gaped in horror up at the opening of the hole. "Did you hear that?" she asked the others quietly.

"It sounded like thunder." Mike replied nonchalantly.

Silence reigned for a moment before the noise repeated only this time it was louder and sounded closer. "That's definitely thunder." Alice agreed.

"I hope it doesn't storm." Bella murmured. "This could get bad for us."

"Why?" Mike asked bemused.

Bella gestured to the limited space around them. "We're trapped in a whole."

"Yeah so?"

"Holes fill with water…" Bella's voice trailed to a stop as their predicament began to weigh down on them.

Mike sighed. "Sounds like we need to find a way out of this hole—and fast!"

**A/N: Sooo…someone reviewed yesterday and said they were bored with my story D; I'm so sorry to hear that, I hope the rest of the story is up to par for you but I must disagree with your statement: Nothing is really happening. If you've been following the story, while it's true that people seem to get lost a lot, things have been **_**happening**_** :/ There are secrets forming, along with relationships; not to mention character deaths and near-death experiences. I'm not really sure I can take that review seriously anyway because it was anonymous -.-**

**I've never had someone complain about my stories…that put a damper in my day. But to all my other reviewers, I hope you are enjoying the story, since I got the 6 reveiws, I've kept to my word and updated. ^^**


	27. Ululate

Chapter 26

_Ululate- [uhl-yuh-leyt, yool-] To utter howling sounds, as in shrill, wail. Lament loudly and shrilly._

The rain had started but it was light and just speckled their clothes with dampness. Alice wiped the water from her hair reflexively. "Maybe the rain won't be so bad. It could be just a light storm." As if to prove her wrong, the rain began to pour down harder on the trio in the hole. "Well this isn't fun." She griped as her hair began to stick to her face.

"At least we're protected from the wind." Mike nodded towards the opening above them where sure enough they could hear vicious winds thrashing around. Occasionally a few leaves and sticks would come flying into the hole and knock into the teens, but their main focus was the water slowly puddling under their feet.

As the water continued to fill, soon it pooled up to their ankles and steadily continued to rise. As the water increased, pieces of the hole peeled off into the water and turned it into a mucky substance that made it hard to move in. "What's going on?" Mike asked in confusion as he tried to lift his feet above the sticky ground and finding it difficult.

"The water is turning the hole into a mud pit." Bella rasped in revulsion.

"There goes my plan of just floating out of the hole." Alice sighed.

The rain continued to pour and the teens watched in helpless fear as the water level rose up to mid-calf and continued turning into the mud they had grown to hate.

"We need to do something!" Alice cried when the mud was up to their knees. "We're going to buried at this rate!"

Bella knew her friend was right. As the rain picked up and seemed to fill the hole quickly, it was already hard to move her lower body. If they didn't get out soon, they never would. Thoughts of Jacob filled her head. How would he feel if she never returned? He wouldn't even know she had perished. Would he look for her forever on the island? What about when help came and he was forced to leave? Would he actually go? He was her best friend and she had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't come to terms with her permanent disappearance.

Suddenly an idea struck her. "We'll have to climb out." She turned her wet face to where she knew Alice and Mike to be. "Remember that game of chicken you play in the pool?" she asked them.

Mike nodded and Alice's brow furrowed. "The one where someone sits on your shoulders and…oh!"

"Exactly. We need to form a pyramid of some sort and then try to crawl out." Bella was excited by the idea. She almost couldn't believe she didn't think about it sooner. By now the muddy gunk was swarming around their waists.

"We need to act fast if we're going to do this." Alice grumbled, looking down in distaste. "So whose going to be the bottom?"

A silence followed before Mike spoke. "I'll do it." He said softly.

Bella couldn't believe his bravery. He'd have to hold someone while the third person climbed atop to escape. She knew him not to be the bravest but today her perspective of him changed. Unable to help herself, Bella gave him a quick hugged and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Mike." She smiled a soft smile, and in the slight light, she saw him return it.

"Okay, one of you, hop up onto my shoulders." Mike looked from Alice to Bella.

"The person who first gets out will have to help pull the other two out. So it should be someone with a lot energy." Bella murmured, looking at Alice wryly.

"You want me to get out first?" Alice asked surprised.

"You're stronger than me." Bella responded.

"Well let's just hurry!" Mike was having a hard time concentrating as he felt the mud dirtying everything under his waist. Not to mention the pressure against his legs weren't pleasant.

Bella nodded in affirmance at Mike before lifting herself up out of the muck. It was very hard though and it took a few tries. But with the help of Alice, she was able to get high enough out of the mud and using the small walls for leverage, she lifted herself slowly onto Mikes shoulders. All the effort caused her much pain but the pain was easily ignored. Their lives were at stake and she wanted everyone to get out alive. So she bore with the pain and sighed in relief when Mike's small but strong shoulders, supported her weight. In the back of her mind, she thought of the last few days on the island. Without having a steady diet, she'd lost a lot of weight. A sardonic smile formed on her lips as she thought of how light it must've been on Mike. Small miracles.

Alice looked up at Bella before mirroring her previous moves. It was harder, for the usually spiky haired girl was smaller than Bella and therefore the muck had been nearly up to her chest. The brown muck almost seemed unwilling to release Alice and after fighting against it for a good five minutes, the short girl was finally up and out of the mud. Alice was basically standing on Mike's shoulders. The extra weight caused the boy to grunt with effort but he gave no other indication of their weight. Bella had her arms around the girls' waist to keep her from falling backwards.

"Okay Alice, now climb onto my shoulders and see if you can get out." Bella adjusted herself so that she was leaning against the wall which would steady her body as Alice got out.

"Okay." The short girl, already standing unsteadily, lifted her dirty foot and placed it on Bella's shoulder. Being as gentle as she could, she applied pressure and lifted herself quickly up so that her body was vertical on top of Bella. Bella bit her tongue to keep from crying out at the pain that now burned through her shoulders. Even with Alice being a small and thin girl, the extra weight on thin shoulders was nearly unbearable for Bella. She closed her eyes as the tears began to form from all the pain she was experiencing.

Alice stood, for all of eight seconds before she placed her hands on the outside of the hole and hoisted herself up with her thin arms. Lifting a leg off of Bella's shoulders, it made purchase on the ground just outside the hole and soon she found herself climbing out. "I made it." She whispered happily. The rain continued to beat down on her and the smile that had graced her face was washed away as she remembered her friends. Dropping to her knees, she looked into the hole and found Bella and Mike looking up at her.

Alice laid down on her stomach and reached her hands down so that Bella could reach them. "Come on Bella!"

Bella sighed as it was now her time to clamber out of the hole. "Brace yourself Mike." Bella warned as she slowly stood up on the boys' shoulders.

"I'm okay." He mumbled. "Just hurry."

Bella didn't need to be told twice. Since she was taller than Alice, she didn't have to stretch far to grasp Alice's firm hands and slowly she began walking up the wall of the hole. It was tough, the rain had caused the walls to crumble and become slick. It took a long time for Bella to get out of the hole. She slipped numerous times and every time she seemed to get her footing good, the wall would break and crash down below her. Finally Alice was pulling her over the edge and her body flopped down on the soggy ground. Wheezing like a chain-smoker, Bella was catching her breath when she heard a terrified scream behind her. Turning around swiftly, she found Alice gaping down into the hole, still screaming like a banshee.

"MIKE? MIKE? MIKE?"

Bella crawled over beside Alice and peered into the hole. At first, all she saw was the muddy ground, but that couldn't have been the source of Alice's screams…but then it clicked. _All_ she could see was the muddy ground. Where was Mike?

"MIKE? MIKE? MIKE?" Bella looked over at Alice who was shaking with fright. Or maybe she was shaking from the cold of the rain. It didn't matter at that point. Bella was in such shock over what was happening that the pain slowly ebbed away and she became numb. She pulled back from the hole and stared up at the sky blankly.

"MIKE? MIKE? MIKE?" Alice continued to scream in desperation.

The rain pelted her face but still, she felt nothing. She'd just lost a boy, a friend—no her _savior_. Somehow, she knew deep down that Mike had known the outcome of this. The hole was three people deep. Even if she and Alice had gotten out sooner, they wouldn't have been able to reach him without some sort of assistance. Even if someone had been lowered into the well, Mike still wouldn't have been able to reach them for the hole was just that deep. So why did Mike sacrifice his life to save them?

"MIKE? MIKE? MIKE?"

Bella had always thought Mike to be a fairly dumb and easily frightened boy. Why did he pick now to be courageous and spare their lives but forsake his own? The tears erupted soundlessly from her eyes but mixed with the rain immediately. She hadn't been close with Mike, and there were times where he was very annoying, but losing him shed a new light for her peer. Maybe it was because all the survivors, whether they knew it or not, they shared a bond. After such a traumatic experience as the boat incident, the bond connected them in a way that was hard to perceive.

"MIKE? MIKE? MIKE?"

He was gone. A boy she barely paid attention to, had left this world but saved her life. Bella didn't know why this hit her so hard. Maybe because it was the second person whose life she saw just end so quickly and right before her eyes. First it was the suicide of Austin. Austin had been so distraught. But the death of him hadn't been that bad. She hadn't really known him like very well and she didn't see the aftermath of his suicide. But Mike—she'd just spoken with him. _Just_ spoken with him. _Not three minutes ago!_ Death never seemed so quick and final than it did in that very moment.

A soft sob escaped from Alice who had finally stopped screeching the boys' name. Bella turned to her friend, but wasn't really seeing her. Everything felt so weird for her at the moment. Almost subconsciously, she rose from the ground, before offering a hand to Alice who shakily accepted it, sobbing her eyes out at the loss of their peer. The wind had harshened and the rain wasn't letting up anytime soon. Bella didn't release Alice's hand once she was standing, but instead, and robotically, she walked toward the safety of the forest and continued walking until exhaustion kicked in and she collapsed near some trees with Alice lying beside her still crying her eyes out.

The pair laid like that, all night as the howls from the wind died down and the nocturnal animals scampered around. Nothing disturbed the pair who fell into a dreamless slumber. The world seemed to shut them out as they were currently doing to the world.

**A/N: **_Doodle87_**, you made my day with your review. Thank you so much for your very kind words c; **

**Lol took two days for 6 reviews, but as promised, here is the next installment.**


	28. Huggermugger

Chapter 27

_Hugger-mugger- [huhg-er-muhg-er] Disorder or confusion; muddle. Secrecy; reticence._

Bella woke up with the recollection of what happened yesterday being the only thing on her mind. She blinked her eyes up at the green canopy above and watched a colorful bird zip by with a worm hanging from its mouth. Flying towards a tree a foot from her, she watched it land on a branch before jumping into a nest. As her eyes began to glaze over, a rustling noise caught her attention. Returning her eyes to the tree with the bird, she heard a loud squawk before it a snapping noise ended said noise. Searching the trees for the bird, she saw a flash of blond hair before it disappeared it jumped to the ground and disappeared into the trees. The oddity of the moment barely registered in her brain and she closed her eyes to go to sleep once more.

Alice woke, unbeknownst to her, the moment Bella fell back asleep. She wiped the sleep from her eyes before sitting up and glancing down at her snoozing friend. Bedraggled and covered with in a dried brown sludge. Looking down at her own legs, she saw the same thing coating her legs and wrinkled her nose in distaste. Standing up hesitantly, Alice found the waves of fatigue washing over her. She hadn't eaten in a while, and yesterday had been emotionally draining. Leaning against the tree behind her, she gathered her thoughts and closed her eyes briefly. Flashes of Mike disappearing underneath the muddy water had her eyes snapping open. Her legs moved on their own. She walked through the dense forest for a while until they thinned and she came across the area where the hole would be. Should be—but instead there was smooth ground. Confusion evaded Alice's body and she looked around in bemusement. Where was the hole? That's when common sense kicked in and she remembered that the hole was filling and by now had filled. It wasn't hard to find after. The ground was a different color than the collapsed hole. A darker brown patch sat off to the side and it matched the dried brown gunk on her legs. Walking over to it slowly, she sank to her knees around the edge and patted the surface of it with her small hands.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't get you out in time Mike." Alice whispered sadly. "But thank you for saving us." She sighed as a few tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. "I'll make this spot pretty for you, okay?" Alice wiped her face before standing and going over to the trees behind her. She had noticed on her walk to the hole that there were various pale flowers she thought would look nice atop the collapsed hole. Plucking some yellow and green flowers that resembled lilies, she gathered as many as her hands could carry before heading back to Mike's burial. Sitting down gently in front of the area, she gently laid the flowers, one by one, down on top of the smooth ground. There were enough flowers to encircle the area with one left over. Alice touched the top of the ground again and was surprised to find that it wasn't fully solid. A thought came to her quickly and she found a nearby stick that would help her accomplish her task.

Mike Newton

Friend to some

Hero to others

He will be missed

She threw the stick away when she had finished etching the words into the middle of the circle. Leaning forward, she kissed the last green flower that sat beside her and laid it und her his name. "Thanks again Mike. Rest in peace okay?" she closed her eyes as the last of her tears fell from her eyes and dried on her cheeks. Turning from the burial, Alice headed back to where Bella would be waiting, fast asleep. They needed to get back to the others and find some food and water.

On her way back to where Bella slept, Alice tripped over her own two feet and landed on the ground with a loud thump. Moaning softly, she prepared to get up when she heard the unmistakable patter of feet running against the ground. "Bella?" she called softly when the feet grew closer and before she could turn her head a body collided into her and fell against her with a loud groan.

"What are you doing on the ground?" the feminine voice griped in annoyance. Alice was so surprised by the voice she remained motionless on the ground until the girl removed herself from Alice and offered her a hand. "Come on, get up." The girl smiled showing a set of pearly whites and dark blue, almost violet eyes stared down into her own wide ones.

Alice accepted the hand with a smile and more tears sprang to her eyes before she wrapped her arms around the taller girls' waist and hugged her tightly.

~S.O.S~

Jacob snuggled into the warm body in front of him and a smile tugged at his lips. "I love you so much." He murmured before rubbing his nose into the crook of the warm neck in front of him. "Bella…"

"If you don't get off me in two seconds I am going to castrate you!" a dark voice threatened.

Jacob snapped out of his dream and rolled away, causing him to knock into the behind him with a thump. "Ow!" his body curled involuntarily against the tree and he opened his eyes slowly. "What a way to wake." He muttered.

"You are too clingy in your sleep." Felix complained. "Seriously, we're never speaking of this again." Felix had risen from the ground and was dusting off his bottom.

Jacob also stood up and stretched, hearing bones creak and pop. He let out a relieved sigh and looked at Felix expectantly. "Ready to go looking for the others?"

Felix nodded furiously. "Yes I am! We need to find Ang-I mean everyone."

Jacob chuckled lightly. "Now you know how I felt every time Bella went missing."

Felix clutched his heart and looked at Jacob with a pained expression.

"Hurts doesn't it?" Jacob asked wryly.

Felix looked away in embarrassment. "That girl really has claimed my heart." Felix grumbled, not meeting Jacob's eyes.

They began their walk towards the beach, figuring it to be a good place to start.

"At least you know for a fact Angela likes you." Jacob said, admitting a growing fear he had inside that Bella truly only saw him as a friend—the dreaded friend zone.

Felix laughed softly. "Jacob, when you and Bella are together, you're inseparable. I don't think it's just friendship."

Jacob mulled over Felix's words. "Really?"

"Really." Felix paused in walking. "But Bella is a bit dense. No offense. I don't think she knows how you feel."

Jacob pushed Felix playfully. "She's not dense! She just see's things differently."

Felix snorted and soon they broke through the last of the trees and were on the beach with the rising sun indicating that noon was fast approaching.

Shock, sadness, anger and disappointment surrounded Felix and Jacob as they took in the destroyed huts littering the beach. The lightning struck hut lied charred in pieces all over. While the second hut was nowhere to be seen. The damage to their only home really hit them hard. "I can't believe it's gone." Jacob gaped.

A few palm trees had also been destroyed and laid hazardously across the beach. "What are we supposed to do now?" Felix asked in a huff. All of his hard work was destroyed in the hurricane and it angered him deeply. Plus there was no sign of-

"Help! Anyone there? Help me!"

Felix went rigid as he heard the desperate cries of the girl he had just been thinking of, rip through the air. "Angela?" he called back.

"Felix? Felix! Over here!" Angela called back and Felix traced the voice and was horrified to find it came from under one the fallen palm trees.

Jacob followed after Felix and when they found Angela, Felix's heart lurched for the girl. Half of her body was crushed by the tree and many pieces of the hut. "I'm so happy to see you. Both of you." Angela looked up at them through her glasses. One of the lens had a jagged crack through it that was bound to distort her vision. Aside from a few cuts on her face, she seemed alright at first; save for the tree pinning her to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Felix asked stupidly, sitting beside her and pushing her hair out of her face.

Angela smiled a watery smile up at him. "I've been better." She laughed shakily.

"We're going to get you out of there okay? Just sit tight." Felix whispered, running the back of his down her cheek soothingly.

Angela smiled up at him and nodded slowly that she understood.

Felix looked at Jacob and they silently agreed to try to lift the giant palm tree. First brushing away the debris of the hut, they looked at the palm tree and each grabbed a side. Lifting the tree, muscles strained and the boys were just able to slide the tree away from the girl, before their muscles gave out and they had to drop the tree. The tree landed on the ground with a thud and Felix returned to Angela's side. He offered her a hand and she took it graciously. He lifted her to her feet but something was wrong. Once Angela was vertical, she wobbled before falling back to the ground. Felix caught her before she could hurt herself and held her in his arms. Her body continued to say and she looked into his eyes fearfully.

"I can't feel my legs." She told him, eyes widening into saucers. "Felix. I can't feel my legs!"

~S.O.S~

Lauren bit down into the mango happily. She and Jessica had almost gotten caught up in the storm, but had retreated to the spring, gathered a few fruits from the trees surrounding the area before hiding out in the cave behind the waterfall. It was slightly damp and a bit chilly, but it beat the weather outside. They heard the howls from the winds and the crackle from the lightening. But it didn't affect them too much for they were safe and sound in the cave.

"That mango was good." Lauren smacked her lips in delight before discarding the rest of the fruit by throwing it out into the river leading from the waterfall. "I'm thirsty though." Lauren walked over to where the water poured down above them in an arc. Cupping her hands, she dipped it into the cool water and drank deeply, but also soaked her clothes sloppily.

Jessica watched the girl drink and asked a question that had been weighing on her mind. "Do you think the others are alright?"

Lauren shrugged and turned back to Jessica. "Who cares. As long as we're okay." Lauren resumed drinking until she had her fill. "This island isn't so bad anymore. I still want to go home though. I need a trip to the salon."

"It stormed for a while last night." Jessica murmured, thinking back to how bad the storm was. "What if someone got hurt?"

Lauren's face contorted into a scowl. "Who _cares_?" she growled. "_We_ were _safe_ and that's all that matters!"

Jessica sighed and looked down at the uneaten fruit in her hands. "Do you want to go out and look for them? The storm is over now."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Whatever Jessica."

"Well I mean, don't you think they'll worry about where we are?" Jessica asked skeptically.

Lauren shook her head vehemently. "They don't care about us! It's not like we're Bella! No, if we were her, they'd scour the whole beach for her if she went missing. But look at Mike! He goes missing and they don't even care!" Lauren shook with anger and Jessica sighed and drew her knees to her chin before resting her head on them.

"Okay Lauren." She conceded. "But I don't want to stay here all day. We're going to have to go back eventually."

Lauren's anger began to recede and she shrugged. "Whatever. I'm getting my fill before we go anywhere." And on that note, she turned back to the waterfall and continued to drink heartily.

**A/N: Wow! Ya'll reviewed hectically for the last one. c; It was sad for me too :'C But it needed to be done and you'll see why soon :) And thanks so much for the reviews, some of them are really touching ^o^**


	29. Provender

Chapter 28

_Provender- [prov-uhn-der] Food; provisions._

Angela repressed the tears that threatened to erupt from her eyes. Felix had set her back down on the ground and she tried desperately to move her legs but to no avail. "Just try to wiggle your toes." Felix encouraged gently. He'd taken a spot behind Angela and rubbed her shoulders soothingly. Jacob stood a foot away, watching his friend struggle with her new predicament.

"I'm trying." Angela whispered, eyes glazing over. A look of intense concentration overcame her and she stared at her feet, willing them to move. But nothing happened. Not a reflexive twitch or a lift of her legs.

Felix crawled so that he sat on the side of her legs. "Close your eyes and tell me if you feel this." He instructed gently.

Angela nodded in affirmance and closed her eyes.

Felix leaned over and poked Angela's foot with his hand. Angela remained silent. Felix and Jacob frowned. Felix poked her again, all over her foot and she never uttered a peep. "Um, are going to start now?" Angela asked in confusion.

Felix exchanged a shocked glance with Jacob. "Yeah, I'm going to start now." He told her. "Can you feel it when I poke you here?" he asked, then took his finger and jabbed her foot.

Angela nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. I can feel it."

Felix looked at her sadly. "Can you feel it now?" he asked and didn't touch her foot at all.

"I can." She lied. "Maybe I'll be okay!" Angela opened her eyes and a couple tears leaked from the corners. "Maybe I'll be okay." She sniffled.

Felix looked up at Jacob, both masked their true fears and returned a smile to Angela. "Of course! You'll be fine in no time. You're probably just numb from being stuck under that tree." Jacob walked over and ruffled her already disheveled hair.

Angela wiped away the tears and smiled a watery smile up at Jacob. "So what are we going to do now?" she asked the boys.

"Well, I think it's time we found everyone else. See if anyone else was injured." Jacob suggested.

"Sounds good." Angela made as if to get up, but then remembered her dilemma. "So how am I supposed to get around?"

"Hm." Felix seized her up quickly. She was pretty tall, nearly his height but she was thin. Especially since they hadn't been eating properly. "I'll carry you."

Angela's eyes opened in surprise. "Will you be able to? I'm heavy."

Felix laughed lightly. "You're fine. I'm strong." Felix flexed his wiry muscles and flashed her his cocky smile.

Jacob rolled his eyes but let loose a chuckle. "And when he gets tired, I'll carry you too. It'll be fine Angela."

There wasn't really much of a choice so Angela allowed the boys to draw her to her feet, before she was helped onto Felix's back. Felix was actually surprised at how light she felt. He was able to walk with no problem. It was just keeping her from falling that became an issue. So Jacob decided to walk behind them to make sure she didn't fall.

They began their walk into the woods and not five feet in they came across Quil and Edward who had remained unharmed during the storm.

~S.O.S~

Alice released the girl who had initially been startled by the hug but embraced her back quickly. "I have so much to tell you. He was your brother." Alice sobbed loudly.

"Jasper?" The girl, Rosalie, cocked her head to the side and looked at Alice puzzled. "What about him?"

Alice dropped her eyes and the tears flowed endlessly from her eyes. "H-h-h-he's-

"Whoa there! Quit crying! He's fine." Rosalie was startled by the tears and took a step back. "He's been complaining a lot, totally milking his injury. But Emmett is taking good care of him."

Alice froze and Rosalie quirked an eyebrow. Tilting her head up, she looked into Rosalie's eyes with hope gleaming in her own. "He's…alive?" she asked softly.

Rosalie nodded fiercely. "Yes! The idiot was running from a jaguar when we found him. But we were able to scare it away. After all, it was three against one and the jaguar obviously felt threatened." Rosalie smirked in remembrance.

Alice shook her head in disbelief. "He's alive." She whispered to herself. "He's alive!"

Rosalie grinned. "He did get cut by the jaguar though, so he's injured. But aside from a few complaints', he's fine."

"Where is he?" Alice asked, clinging onto Rosalie's arms desperately.

Rosalie pointed in the direction she had been running from earlier. "About half a days' walk that way. We made a nice little bunker for ourselves if I do say so myself."

Alice smiled at Rosalie's words and locked arms with the girl. "Please. Take me to him."

Rosalie nodded that she would and they began their trek towards the 'bunker' as Rosalie liked to put it. Not three feet later, Alice stopped and turned towards where she knew Bella to be sleeping. "Oh wait! Bella."

Rosalie followed Alice back to where Bella was resting. "Oh good, more survivors. That's why I was walking along here anyway. I was looking for more people to see if more people survived. I was sure it wasn't just Emmett, Jasper and I."

Alice sank down to her knees and shook Bella awake. "Bella. Bella. Wake up."

Bella's eyes fluttered open and she looked over at Alice sleepily. "Alice?" Bella saw a girl standing behind Alice. A pink tank top over some blue shorts adorned the blonde haired girl. She looked fairly clean for a shipwrecked teen, but Bella barely paid attention to that. "Rosalie?"

Rosalie nodded as Bella stood up. "Okay let's go."

"Go where?" Bella asked confused.

"Jasper." Alice clasped Bella's hands. "He's alive. She's going to take us to him." Happy tears continued to stream down her face.

Bella shook her head. "I'm happy he's alive. But we can't leave yet. We have to find Jacob and the others."

Alice gaped at Bella; she'd almost forgotten about the others. "But Bella…" her voice turned into a whine. "I have to see him."

Bella looked at the longing gaze Bella threw her towards finding Jasper. "Go to him." Bella whispered, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I'm going to go find Jacob."

Alice's smile faltered. "Oh okay."

Rosalie stepped in. "Look, I don't want to have to come all this again. It's not hard to find the bunker. Just follow the beach a few miles and it will take half a day to get there so I'm guessing we'll see you tomorrow."

Bella nodded, and gave Alice a hug. "We're always splitting up, huh?" Bella teased.

"We are." Alice sighed but released Bella from the hug.

"I'll try to leave markers or stuff so that you know you're going in the right direction." Rosalie told Bella. "Look out for them. I'll have to work with what I have and that's the crap here on the island."

Bella thanked her then waved as the pair headed off into the woods. Bella then began walking in the opposite direction towards where she figured the beach and huts to be.

~S.O.S~

Lauren knocked the mango out of Jessica's hand. "No! We can't bring them food. Have you lost your mind?" Lauren scowled at the pout Jessica produced.

"But I mean, they might be hungry." Jessica muttered.

"And I need to go to the salon! But sometimes we can't get what we want." Lauren looked down at her destroyed nails and frowned. "I need a manicure too." She flexed her fingers before turning back to Jessica who had picked up the melon.

Lauren held out her hand and Jessica reluctantly placed the fruit in Lauren's palm. Lauren surprised Jessica by taking the fruit and hurling it towards the water. It floating along the current before leaving their sights to be deposited into the ocean somewhere down the line. "Why did you do that?" Jessica gasped in disbelief. "We could've eaten that! We can't just waste food here!"

Lauren flicked Jessica on her nose. "You're changing. Are you forgetting who the enemy is?"

"There _is_ no enemy! We all need to stick together." Jessica shouted.

Lauren's eyes narrowed. "No—we need to survive. Since they were so mean to us—where are you going?"

Jessica had stormed away mid-speech. "I'm going to go see if they are okay."

"Don't make me your enemy Jess." Lauren said darkly. "Do you want to end up like Alice?"

Jessica's whole body went rigid.

"I didn't think so." Lauren walked over and laid an arm on Jessica's shoulder. "Don't even think about telling them about this place. There isn't enough food to last for everyone. If they knew about it, this place would soon be barren. Do you want to die on this island?"

Jessica sighed, shoulders sagging. "No." she murmured. "It just seems selfish."

Lauren shrugged. "Who cares?"

Jessica looked around the small clearing that was the spring. "Fine, I won't say anything." She grouched. "But I have one question."

"What?" Lauren asked coolly.

"If the food is so limited, why would you casually throw it away?"

Lauren narrowed her eyes at Jessica who stared back at her blankly.

After a terse silence, Lauren looked away and Jessica shook off the hand. "I'm going to find the others." She tromped off towards the beach and Lauren, after a moment of standing in the empty area, followed after Jessica.

**A/N:Tomorrows will be longer :D And I'll give you more reasons to hate Lauren! ^o^ Make sure to review so you can see what's in store :3**


	30. Execrable

Chapter 29

_Execrable- [ek-si-kruh-buhl]Utterly detestable; abominable; abhorrent. Very bad._

After two hours of walking, Bella finally stumbled across the beach that was supposed to have the sturdy huts standing proudly atop the warm sand. But instead she found a wreck zone. Debris was scattered all around and the hut that remained was charred beyond recognition. Bella looked around the area in complete despair. Had her friends gotten hurt from the storm? What if they were worse than hurt? What if they had ended up like Mike?

The questions pooled in her brain and she was beginning to panic for there was no one in site. As she walked around, a fallen palm tree caught her eye. At first there was nothing special about it that she could see. But then she noticed that someone had left their flip-flops half buried underneath the tree. Fear began to consume her as she realized that she knew whose flip-flops they belonged to. Angela.

Looking around desperately, tears began to well in her eyes as thoughts of her friends demise ran through her head. Sinking to the sand, she sat on her knees she covered her eyes and began to cry silently. The tears halted immediately when she heard a crashing coming from the woods. Her head swiveled around to where she knew the noise to be emitting and she stood slowly as she heard an irritated voice.

"-I already said I wouldn't. Gosh!" Jessica griped before pushing a low hanging branch out of her way and walking out onto the beach.

"I just want to make sure—OW!" Lauren had been in the midst of responding when the branch swung back and struck her wildly. It hit her shoulder and she sent a glare at Jessica who had caused it. Luckily for Jessica, she wasn't facing Lauren so the glare went unseen.

"WHOA!" Jessica looked at the destroyed beach and her eyes bugged out comically. "WHAT HAPPENED?" As her eyes scoured the beach, she found Bella returning her stare with distress. "Bella!" Jessica hopped over fallen tree branches and stepped carefully over sharp rocks. Making her way over to Bella, she surprised the brunette by giving her a hug. "What happened?" Jessica asked after releasing her.

Bella looked over the beach once more, devoid of life save herself, Jessica and Lauren. "I don't know." Bella rasped. "I think the storm did this."

"But where is everyone else?" Jessica asked quietly.

Panic once more settled into the deep recesses of Bella's stomach and her eyes glazed over. She opened her mouth to speak when a voice cut her off.

"Oh good, they returned to the beach. Where were you losers anyway?" Felix griped in annoyance as he broke through the trees.

Lauren scowled at Felix and crossed her arms in protest at the statement that she was a 'loser'.

Bella looked around Jessica's body and found a wonderful sight for her eyes and aching heart. Felix stood with Angela on his back. Beside him, flanking both of his sides, were Edward and Quil. Behind him stood her best friend—Jacob!

"Oh Bella, I didn't see you there." Felix grunted. "You aren't included in that loser statement."

Jacob made his way around Felix and smiled his bright smile rivaling the sun in its intensity. "Bella?" He took another step towards her. "Bella!"

Bella remained frozen in place as Jacob hurried to her side, stumbling over the debris on the beach. Once he stood in front of her, he wrapped his strong arms around her tightly and rested his head on top of hers.

"I missed you." He whispered quietly. "What happened? Where did you go?"

Still in his embrace, Bella gripped him back fiercely. "It's a long story." She murmured. "I'll tell you later."

Jacob pulled back and kissed her forehead, inadvertently causing the shorter girl to blush. "I can't let you out of my sights without you disappearing." He joked lightly, although there was some truth to his words.

Bella let out a shaky laugh as she felt her heart slam against her chest when he threaded his fingers between her own. Their intimate moment was shattered when her eyes locked with Edward who was standing a few feet away, a prominent glare adorning his face. The slight scowl had a chill run down her back, and she cast her eyes downward.

"Now all we need to do is find Mike and Alice." Angela stated. "And the group will be whole again."

A pang ran through Bella at the mention of Mike's name. She hadn't forgotten the passing of the teen, but she wondered how she was going to tell them about his chivalrous death. Deciding to wait to tell the whole group, she glanced up at the sky and noticed that the sun had already peaked and was beginning its descend. If she had to guess, she'd say it was around four or five in the afternoon.

"Actually," Bella spoke, briefly glancing at each of the teens. "There are others who have survived. I ran into Rosalie during my absence and she's made a camp on the other side of the island."

A collective gasp rang through the group and Jacob's hand within hers tightened. "Really?" he asked her anxiously.

Bella nodded. "I'm not sure of all the details. But I know that Jasper is definitely one of the survivors. Like I said though, she made a camp about a half days' walk from here. So we'll get there by tomorrow. She said to just follow the beach and we'll get there in no time."

"Why didn't she come with you to find us?" Lauren asked, slightly angered.

"She needed to get back to the campsite. She only went out looking for survivors but apparently there is someone injured back at her camp. So she can't stay out too long."

This answer seemed to pacify Lauren's never-ending anger.

"So are we ready to go?" Felix asked the group.

A mutual nod rang through the group, and they all began their walk along the beach, away from the destroyed huts that had been their home for the last few days.

Lauren and Jessica walked a few feet in front of everyone with Edward and Quil behind them. Then came Felix carrying Angela valiantly while Jacob and Bella brought up the rear.

"You sure we're going in the right direction?" Lauren yelled to Bella, glancing at the girl who was walking hand in hand with Jacob, a boy she found utterly attractive and slightly miffed that he would choose a plain girl such as Bella, over her stunning beauty.

Bella locked eyes with Lauren who was glaring at her. "I believe so."

"Lauren, just shut up and walk." Quil growled, lifting up his walking stick threateningly.

Lauren batted the stick away from her and turned back around. "We should've looked for food first." She snapped. "I can't be the only one that's hungry."

Felix snorted a laugh. "That's true. But you are the only one that's complaining about it."

"If we run into food on the way, of course we're going to harvest it. But for now, I think our main priority is making it to the new campsite." Edward spoke, trying to appease the easily angered girl.

"I know that! But why can't we just look for food now and walk later?" Lauren asked snippily.

"Didn't he just answer your question?" Quil asked sarcastically. "We need to make it to the campsite. Now SHUT UP!" Quil accented his demand by prodding the girl in the back of her knees with his stick. Lauren yelped as she almost fell and flipped Quil the bird.

"This is going to be a long walk." Jacob sighed.

The teens walked for hours. The banter they engaged in was either to get Lauren to quit complaining or false alarms as to the campsite they were looking for. Soon, fatigue began to wear down on them and a much needed rest was granted.

"The sun is almost finished setting; I guess here is as good a place as any to sleep." Jacob suggested. Angela was being hoisted on his back, because a couple hours back, Felix had gotten tired and nearly collapsed with the injured girl.

"About time!" Lauren growled. She and Jessica made their way over to a hanging palm tree and managed to snag a couple leaves, before laying them down on the ground away from everyone else. Since the palm tree also held the luscious coconuts, they knocked two down for themselves and began the task of popping in the eyes.

Jacob laid Angela down on the soft sand while he too went to the nearest palm tree and gathered four coconuts for his friends and himself. Quil and Edward had already gotten themselves some fruit and sat next Lauren and Jessica.

"This sure is a long walk." Felix muttered as he took a deep gulp from his coconut, moments after opening it.

Jacob popped in the eye of Bella's and passed her the fruit before starting on his own. "Well, Bella did say half a days' walk. That's 12 hours. I think we've been doing pretty good though. We're at least halfway there I would like to think."

"Maybe. The walk hasn't been too bad though. Pretty much flat land." Felix downed the rest of his coconut and tossed the liquid-free fruit towards the woods behind them.

"What's littering." Angela gasped.

"Nah babe. It'll decompose. It's biodegradable." Felix smirked and Angela giggled. After she finished her own fruit, she set it down beside her and rested her head on the boy's shoulder.

"It feels like we've been on this island forever." She murmured, closing her eyes and getting as comfortable as she could.

Felix ran a hand through her hair softly. Unable to comb or wash it, he was careful to not get it caught in the tangles. It was nonetheless, a soothing gesture for Angela and helped lull her into a peaceful sleep. Once Felix noticed that Angela was asleep, he laid her down on the sand and she rested her head in his lap while he leaned back against the palm tree his back was against. "So where have you been?" Felix asked quietly.

Bella held the half empty coconut in her hand and looked up at Felix in the fading light. "I fell down a hole." She stated bluntly.

Jacob's eyes widened comically and Felix had to keep from laughing. "You fell down a hole?" Jacob asked alarmed, but still managing to keep his voice down so as not to wake Angela or alert the others to their private conversation.

"Yeah. I'm okay. It was a deep hole though."

"How did you get out?" Felix asked curiously.

Visions of the hole, filing with the muddy water, consumed her thoughts. She slowly began recounting what happened. How Alice and Mike were also inside the hole. How they spent the night there when it began to fill with water. She explained how they came up with the idea to crawl out and finally she told them how Mike had been buried alive, sacrificing his life for the two girls. By the end of tale, the boys had gone silent.

"I never knew Mike had it in him." Felix finally spoke, breaking the lengthy silence. "It's hard to believe he's gone though. Are you sure?"

Bella felt the tears over the fallen teen, stream down her cheeks. "I'm sure." She whispered quickly. "He was so brave…" Bella hiccupped and Jacob wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer.

"Shh Bella. It's okay. He's in a better place now." Jacob tried to soothe the fragile girls' nerves.

Bella cried until the tears would no longer form, and then she yawned and looked up at Jacob sleepily. "Alice went with Rosalie to see Jasper. That's why she wasn't with me when I came back to the campsite."

Jacob smiled, happy that their friend was okay. "Well I can't wait to see her."

Bella closed her eyes and murmured her agreement before falling asleep, still leaning against Jacob.

~S.O.S~

The next morning Rosalie huffed as she grabbed the low hanging branch, and extended her free arm to Alice. Alice wiped the sweat from her forehead and leaned off the slanted tree that had somehow grown out of the side of the hill. Her fingers clasped around Rosalie's hand, and with the blonde's help, she was able to climb a top the steep hill and made purchase on the top, for it flat-landed. "I'm starting to wonder if I should have warned Bella about this hill." Rosalie grunted as she began walking towards the bunker.

Alice looked down behind them and shuddered at how high up and steep the hill had been. They were on the more mountainous part of the island. "What made you decided to make a camp up here?" Alice asked confused. It seemed like a lot of wasted effort.

Rosalie smirked and turned towards Alice, ushering her to follow her. "This piece of land is pretty big and on all sides it's elevated. It protects us from predators that can't climb. Do you know how many cats are out there?" Rosalie shuddered and frowned grimly. "We found that out the hard way."

"We?" Alice asked curiously.

The pair was standing on the open plane, a few skimpy trees surrounding them. An overhanging tree branch blocked their view of the bunker that Rosalie knew lied a few feet beyond. She paused, and looked at Alice skeptically. "Yeah. 'We' being Ben, Eric, Em and I." Rosalie glared down at the ground as she recounted the traumatic event to Alice.

_Rosalie picked up the suitcase and crossed her fingers that something inside of it would be of use to her and the others. She saw Emmett, Ben and Eric all searching through the remaining suitcases that had managed to follow them onto the island. They had been wandering the island aimlessly for a couple days and this was the first time they'd come across anything remotely useful. With night fast approaching, they needed to look through the luggage quickly before it was too dark to see anything. _

_Unzipping the waterlogged baggage, she pulled back the flap and looked inside eagerly. Annoyance seeped from her pores when she found that most of the belongings inside the case happened to be soggy books and magazines, a couple textbooks and other school gear. Nothing that could really help them survive. But the books were good for curing boredom...maybe. "Ben! You are such a nerd! I know this is your suitcase." Rosalie stood up and dragged the luggage over to Ben who looked up at Rosalie embarrassedly. _

"_Uh, sorry?" he blushed from the scowl and Rosalie dropped the bag near him. _

"_There isn't anything in there that can help us." She kicked the bag and snatched the one he had been about to rummage through._

"_Chill Rose. It's not like he was preparing to be shipwrecked on an island." Emmett came to Ben's defense and Rosalie sighed in exasperation. She knew Emmett was right, but their predicament had her on teetering on irritation constantly. _

_Opening the bag that she'd claimed from Ben, a smile graced her face. "Ok, now this is better." Clothes, clothes and more clothes. The bag was bursting with girls clothes. Rosalie pulled out a few damp garments and smiled. _

"_Aw, you get fresh clothes to wear, while we're all stuck with these dirty garments." Eric looked up at Rosalie with disdain._

_Rosalie dropped the clothes and cocked a brow at Eric. "No you idiot. We can use these clothes to build a shelter. I can't fit these small clothes and even if I could, I wouldn't want to. These aren't my style." Rosalie repressed a gag at the bright green and red tank top that was sitting on top of some dark jeans. "Not my style, at all." _

_The last bag being inspected by Eric and Emmett turned out to also be filled with clothes. But this time it was filled with both a girl and a guy's clothes. "Oh this probably belonged to Jane and Alec." Eric mused aloud while sorting through the clothes._

"_Yeah, most likely." Emmett agreed. _

"_Okay, we need to find a good place to sleep. This beach isn't going to cut it for another night." Rosalie, taking charge, ordered the boys to each grab a suitcase and she led the way across the rocky beach and towards the wooded area. Pausing before she entered through it, a sense of foreboding entered her. This was a place she had never been before. Anything could lurk beyond those trees and even though she was putting on a brave face, she was actually quite scared of what could happen to them on this island. Looking to the right, she noticed a large and steep hill. Various rocks and thin trees poked out of the hill. A landslide must have caused its mountainous form. It looked pretty hard to climb, but this gave her an idea. If it was hard for them to climb, then it must be difficult for other animals as well. That deemed it safe, but first she wanted to figure out the width. Looking up at the boys who stood behind her, waiting to see where she was going next, she held up her hands in a gesture for them to wait where they were. No questions were asked as she quickly jogged around the mountainous hill. She found it to be connected to an even larger hill, so she turned back and returned to the boys. "I'm thinking we should climb this and make camp."_

_The boys exchanged glances and looked up at the steep hill warily. "But why?" _

"_Is just seems safe. Now come on." Rosalie walked over to the nearly vertical wall and placed her foot in the crook of a trees' base, before hoisting herself up. "It's like rock climbing." She grunted as she lifted arms up to the large rock jutting out of the hill. The rock dug into her fleshy palm, but she ignored the pain and continued climbing. "See? It's not so bad." She looked down and her eyes widened in surprise at how high she had climbed in such a short time. While gazing down at the boys, she reached for the tree a foot away and missed. Not expecting to miss, she had already removed her foot from the rock and soon found her body no longer gripping the rocky wall, but cascading towards the earth._

"_ROSE!" Emmett dropped the bag he had been holding and outstretched his hands to catch his falling girlfriend. She landed unceremoniously into his waiting arms, but the force knocked him to the ground. Emmett landed on his bottom and Rosalie's body rolled off of him and she lied beside him. "Rose! Are you okay?" Emmett crawled over to the blonde who was trying to stand up. Eric and Ben helped the pair up and Rosalie dusted off her blue jean shorts. _

"_I'm fine Em. I got distracted." She turned towards the hill and began her ascend once more._

"_Oh no ya don't." Emmett grabbed her and placed Rosalie back on the ground._

"_Em!" Rosalie glared at the concerned boy. _

"_I'll go first," he began. "And help you along the way."_

_Rosalie sighed, but agreed to this and less than twenty minutes later, she and Emmett had made it to the top after many stumbles and close calls. "So this is what it looks like." Rosalie mused. _

_A few thin trees were a couple feet in front of them, and long vines and leaves hung down creating a sort of barrier. Walking forward, Rosalie pushed the low hanging branches out of the way and stepped into the cleared land before her. "Jackpot." She grinned. A small endless stream of water wove its way down the far side of the risen land, before dipping over the side and continuing its journey to the ocean. The water fell from the connecting part of the land in a way that had it looking like a mini waterfall. A couple berry bushes rested near the water but Rosalie didn't care about them much for she didn't know what kind of berries they could be. _

_As she and Emmett began walking towards the water, an angry growl filled the air, followed by two high pitched screams that had Rosalie's blood run cold. She and Emmett both raced to the edge of the hill but Rosalie ended up tripping and face-planting in the ground. Emmett made it first and nearly screamed himself. "Climb! You can do it!" Emmett screamed between his cupped hands._

_Rosalie crawled to the edge and looked below. Eric and Ben had their backs against the hill and were beating off an angry jaguar with the luggage. Night was upon them, so it was pretty hard to see the boys, but Rosalie was just able to make out their cowering forms. Ben was the most active, and tried to shoo the snarling creature. "I'll try to ward him off. Climb!" Ben yelled to Eric. The dark haired teen dropped the luggage bag and immediately turned around to scale the steep hill. The moment his back was turned, the jaguar ripped the luggage from Ben's hand and pounced. A squeak was all the boy had time to emit before the dark haired beast tore into his body. _

_Eric looked down at his fallen friend and screamed bloody murder as he tried to climb the wall. The jaguar, distracted by the noise, removed itself from Ben and ascended on Eric who was only four feet in the air. Driving its sharp claws into the fleshy legs of the teen, Eric held onto the tree with dear life as he released a shriek of pain. The large cat raked its claws down the boy's legs and accidentally and fell to the ground. Eric quickly lifted his feet out of reach and inched his way higher into the tree._

_Emmett and Rosalie were in such shock at the situation, they didn't know what to do to help the teen who was on the verge of death with the jaguar still at bay. _

_Adrenaline was flowing steadily through Eric and his fight or flight response was in gear towards flight. He saw the rock jutting out of the hill and reached for it with his arm. Using upper body strength he never knew he had, he pulled himself higher and higher up the hill. Just when he thought he was out of immediate danger, a piercing set of sharp incisors tore into his dangling feet. His body began to spasm and the shudders mixing with the slipperiness his blood created, caused the cat to lose its grip for a final time and it fell to the ground. Eric didn't look at his body but continued to climb the wall with his hands. Half of his body dangled below him and he used his arms to get higher up the wall. Tears stained his cheeks but he was pain free. _

_The jaguar snarled at Eric from the ground and pawed at the bottom of the hill. Eric didn't look down, but continued climbing up. Up and up he climbed, it felt like forever for everyone waiting. But he finally made it close enough to the top for Emmett and Rosalie to help him over the edge. _

_Eric gasped like a fish out of water when they laid his body down on the ground. "Whatever…you do…don't touch…it's…baby" barely getting out its sentence, Eric passed out on the pair who exchanged baffled glances. _

_While Emmett looked over Eric's injured body, Rosalie glanced back over the side of the hill and saw the jaguar retreating into the woods with a smaller black ball of fur following closely after. Ben's body rested at the foot of the hill, unmoving. Rosalie closed her eyes and wished everything had been some crazy dream and she really back home preparing for the field trip. But when she opened her eyes, she was back on the island where death seemed to be looming in everyone's shadow. _

"_Yikes! This is bad. Really bad." Emmett spoke, breaking Rosalie out of her fear induced stupor. She crawled over to where Emmett loomed over Eric and examined him as well. Emmett was right. Eric had blood oozing out of him as quickly as the waterfall behind them. Fleshy strips of his skin were missing and his shoeless feet were mangled and reminded her off minced meat. "Is that bone?" Emmett asked horrified. _

_Rosalie felt herself grow sick. No doubt she was green from disgust but she mentally shook off her feelings and stood up. "We need to wrap him up before he looses anymore blood."_

_Emmett grunted in agreement. "We should wash him off with the water first." Rosalie nodded, but it was too dark for Emmett to see her. She verbalized her consensus and the pair worked on carrying the battered teen over to the never-ending, yet small, waterfall. After washing off as much blood as they could, they worked on patching up the boy in the dark._

"_I guess we'll have to use our clothes." Rosalie murmured, already stripping off her shirt. There was no time for blushing, plus Emmett couldn't see her anyway. Rosalie took her shirt and wrapped it as tightly around Eric's leg as she could. "We need something to keep it tight." She grumbled as Emmett removed his own shirt and wrapped it around Eric's other leg._

"_There isn't much up here. There could be vines, but we can't see anything in the dark." Emmett sighed in response. _

_Rosalie kicked the ground in frustration then remembered what was on her and Emmett's feet. "We're wearing shoes."_

_Emmett snorted in annoyance. "Yeah, you got us a matching pair before the trip."_

"_No. _Shoes!_ They have laces! We can use those!" Rosalie immediately set into untying her shoes and slipping the laces back through the hole. "I have never been so happy to be wearing Converses." Rosalie giggled, slightly hysterical. Once both of her laces were no longer fused with her shoes, she set about tying them as tightly as she could to Eric's legs, forming a makeshift cast. Emmett mirrored her actions and then the problem of Eric's feet came into play. "I guess we can use our socks." Rosalie muttered, taking off her dirty socks and first washing them off in the water before sliding them onto Eric's feet. Her feet being smaller than said boy, she had a hard time getting them on, but somehow, she managed. Emmett did the same with his own and afterward both collapsed on each side of Eric, completely spent._

_The next morning rolled around and Rosalie woke up to find Eric gazing up at the sky languidly. "Hey. How are you feeling?" she asked before sitting up._

_Eric lazily moved his eyes away from the cloud free sky to look into her weary ones. "I…can't…feel…anything." He spoke softly, taking deep breaths between each word. Rosalie noticed the drying tear stains across his cheek and realized he must've been up for a long time and cried silently while she and Emmett rested._

_Unsure of how to respond, she glanced over at his wrapped legs and could make out the bloodied laces and darkened shirts. She'd watched enough medical shows to know that she needed to 'change' the bandages, but was unsure of how to approach the subject with the patient. "Are you thirsty?" she asked instead. _

_Eric blinked his eyes slowly before nodding. "I am." He replied. _

_Luckily they had slept close to the waterfall. Rosalie sat cross-legged and lifted up Eric's torso so that his back leaning against her legs. His own legs barely jostled. Eric got a good look at the damage from this new angle and more silent tears bled from his eyes. Rosalie pretended not to see his anguish, and focused on getting him water. She leaned him closer towards the running water and Eric took the initiative, cupping his hands he was able to capture some of the cool water before consuming it quickly. He repeated the actions a few times before telling Rosalie he had gotten his fill. Rosalie laid him back down before getting water herself. While she was drinking, Emmett woke and looked up at her sleepily. She splashed him a teasingly and he shot up quickly._

"_That water is cold." He wiped some of it off his torso and looked down at Eric. "Morning." He greeted solemnly. "Does it hurt much?" he asked quietly._

_Eric shook his head. "Not at all. That's what scares me." _

_Emmett's shoulders sagged and he looked away from Eric over to the bushes holding berries that rested a foot away from them. "Aw, those berries aren't edible." He grumbled, walking over to the red speckled bush._

"_How do you know?" Rosalie asked, plucking a couple of the red berries from the bush and holding it up to her face._

_Emmett knocked the berries from her hand and kicked them over the side of the hill. "These berries grow everywhere in our neighborhood. They have little pits in them and they look tasty. But the pits are poisonous and sometimes the poison seeps from the pit into the berry. If you take the pit out, you technically can eat the berry. But like I said, sometimes the poison seems into the berry. I don't want to take that chance, and I don't want you taking that chance either." Rosalie rolled her eyes but didn't cast a second glance to the bushes._

"_Whatever Em. We have bigger problems than our hunger." She nodded over to Eric. They had lowered their voices and she looked back at Emmett somberly. "What are we going to do about him?" _

_Emmett looked at Eric who had returned to gazing at the sky. "I don't know. But I'm sure we won't be on this island for long. Let's just help him as much as we can until the rescue squads arrive."_

_Rosalie smiled and leaned up to kiss Emmett quickly. "Playing doctor now, are we?" she smirked, but the smirk was forsaken when she looked down at the injured teen. "We're going to have to change those shirts…" Rosalie remembered they'd take off their shirts and glanced down at her shirtless body. The only garment covering her chest was a lacey black bra. "What the—we need to get the luggage!" she quickly turned around and marched towards the edge of the hill. Emmett caught up with her and grabbed her arm._

"_We're not going back down there! That cat is probably waiting for us!" Emmett began towing her back towards the water and Eric._

_Rosalie shook him off of her and scowled. "Let go of me. Jaguars are nocturnal. That thing is probably asleep right now." But his comment had spooked her. Looking around at the numerous trees surrounding them, she tore off a large branch and pointed it at Emmett. "Besides, I climb quick. I think I'll be fine." _

"_I'm going with you." Emmett growled._

"_I wouldn't have it any other way." She replied with a smile. Walking back to the edge, she looked over the side and saw the three suitcases sitting close by Ben's body. Nausea crept up on her, but she forced it back and tried not think about how the teen had succumbed to such a fate. "How are we even going to get the suitcases up the hill?" Rosalie mused aloud._

"_Hm." Emmett looked down at the three large suitcases and looked over at the trees behind them. "Oh! There are vines here." He tore off a few and looked back at Rosalie. A silent understanding flowed through them. They'd tie the suitcases together and climb the hill with the suitcases dangling below. _

_Descending the hill was much easier than the opposite, and in less time than they could imagine, they'd reached the ground. Tensed, they waited a few moments, frozen. Was Rosalie wrong? Had the jaguar just been lurking in the woods, waiting to attack them the moment they'd left the hill. _

_A whole minute went by and the pair found themselves sighing with relief. The jaguar didn't ambush them from the looming forest. Turning their backs on the woods, Rosalie tore open the bag she knew to contain both a girl and guys clothes. "Not exactly my style. But it should fit." Rosalie threw on the black tank top that snuggle hugged her chest while Emmett tossed on a crimson polo. _

"_Well, there's no reason to stay down here any longer." Emmett set about tying the suitcases together. He tied two of the heavier ones together, and left the lightest one for Rosalie. "Come on. I don't want to be down here longer than need be." Emmett took the vine attached to the luggage and began climbing the hill once more. _

_Rosalie watched him and walked over to her own lone suitcase sitting by Ben's foot. She picked it up and nearly dropped it when she saw heard Ben's raspy voice call out her name softly. At first she thought she was hearing things, but as she leaned closer towards Ben, she saw his bloody lips quivering and his dilated eyes searching for her own blindly. His body was even worse to look at than Eric. The jaguar had done a number on his torso, pawed half the teens face away but left the lower half of his body relatively untouched. Rosalie knew that unlike Eric, Ben didn't have a chance at surviving. The fact that he had survived the night was a miracle. Unless he was in the intensive care unit at the hospital, all hope was lost. "Rosalie." Ben called out again, his eyes seemed to find her for he gazed at her steadily. "Please." He whimpered._

_The blonde knew what he was asking. But she shook her head and looked up at Emmett who was scaling the mountain like a trooper, oblivious to fact that Rosalie was still on the ground and not behind him. A tug on her arm had her head snapping back to Ben who she found had lifted his arm to tug on her own. The amount of will power left in the boy astounded her. "What do you want?" she asked shakily._

"_Please." He begged again. "It hurts."_

_Rosalie tried to not look at his body, but her eyes were drawn to the morbid scene before her. She held in the screams of repulsion when she noticed insects snacking on Ben's decaying body. "I don't think I can." She whispered._

_Ben released her and let his arm fall back against the ground. "End it." He pleaded once more, eyeing her stick like it was the answer to the question never asked._

_Rosalie looked at the stick and shuddered. At this point, it would be putting the boy out of his misery. She couldn't just leave him to fester in the sun. Slowly Rosalie lifted the stick so that it hovered over the bloody chest of the boy. Most of his flesh had been torn away and she could even see his ribs poking out. _

"_Thank you." Ben whispered and stared straight up at the stick. _

_Rosalie closed her eyes and quickly brought down the stick in the area she knew Ben's heart was located. A sickening crunch resounded as the stick tore through the broken bone of Bens ribs and Rosalie ripped out the bloody stick before dropping it beside Ben. They would have to bury Ben, but at the moment, she couldn't even look at the boy. Turning her back from him, she grabbed the suitcase, tied the vine around it and began climbing the hill after Emmett who had gotten an five minute head start._

"We cleaned up Eric, he's doing pretty well…sort of." Rosalie muttered. "Then we fashioned a shelter out of the clothes. We've been living here ever since. Sometimes Emmett and I go out foraging for food. And this is the first time I've gone looking for other survivors. Emmett wanted to come along, but he needed to take care of Eric and Jasper." Rosalie concluded.

Alice was rendered speechless from the story. It would seem that everyone was suffering from the tragedies of deaths. "I'm so sorr-

"I know." Rosalie interrupted. She turned back towards the trees and moved the low hanging branch out of the way. "Let's go. You want to see Jasper right?"

Alice nodded excitedly and followed behind Rosalie as she led the way to the bunker.

Completely made of clothes and the nearby trees' branches, the shelter that Rosalie and Emmett had somehow created, had a more tropical feel than Felix's huts. It stood six feet in height and spread out over much of the land. They'd covered the shaded ground underneath with numerous palm leaves and leftover clothes so one was not sleeping on hard ground. Eric was currently sleeping at the far end, closest to the waterfall. Jasper was sitting beside him, reading a book while Emmett was getting a drink from the waterfall.

Alice walked as though in a daze. Once she and Rosalie were closer towards Emmett looked up and smiled. "Hey Rose! Welcome back. I see you brought a friend."

Jasper glanced up and went back to his book. Not a second later, his eyes darted up again and he locked eyes with Alice. Dropping the book, he jumped to his feet and rushed to her side. Engulfing the flabbergasted girl in a hug, Alice returned it full force. No words were spoken as the intimate moment went uninterrupted. Rosalie silently made her way to Emmett and the pair gave the others much needed private time.

After embracing for what seemed like a lifetime, they pulled apart and looked into each other's eyes. "I thought you'd died." Alice whispered sadly.

"I have too much life to live." Jasper responded fervently. "A life I want you to be a part of."

Alice smiled lovingly and kissed him softly on his lips. "I'm so happy you're okay. I know it's too soon to say this, but I love you."

Jasper chuckled lightly. "It's never too soon. I love you too Alice." He Eskimo kissed her and she giggled.

"Okay, we let you too reunite. But Jasper shouldn't be moving much." Emmett interrupted and poked said boy in the shoulder. "Sit down before you re-open your wound."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Yes _doctor._" Taking Alice's hand in his own, he lowered himself walked back to his spot and sat down with Alice beside him.

"Where is your wound?" Alice asked anxiously.

Jasper lifted up his shirt an Alice saw three claw marks running across his torso. "It's not so bad. Still tender, but it's healing. Trouble is, I can't move much or it'll reopen." Alice saw the blood had scabbed over but she also noticed he was bleeding again.

"We hugged too tight!" Alice screeched. "I think you're wound reopened." Alice's hands fluttered over the claw marks as Emmett walked over with a wet piece of cloth.

"I told you to stay still." He grumbled before placing the cool cloth against the teens chest. "Hold it there until the bleeding stops and then please, PLEASE, stop moving." Emmett nearly begged.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Alice is here. There's no reason for me to leave now."

"You were trying to look for me?" Alice asked surprised.

"Yeah, he was." Emmett answered for him. "He tried to leave numerous times on his quest to find you. That's the only reason I allowed Rosalie to search for survivors without me. If she didn't find you, this knucklehead would have gone off in search of you and who knows how much blood he would have lost with these wounds." Emmett sighed. "Maybe now that you're here he can heal."

Alice looked from Emmett to Jasper. "Yes, I think healing is in order." She smiled at the boy before kissing his cheek and resting her head on his shoulder.

Jasper picked up his book again, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence as Jasper and Alice read from his book.

**A/N: Sorry about that ya'll :'C I told you I'd update a month ago, but goodness gracious—my muse died -_- It returned like a guilty, reprimanded puppy yesterday and after a good chastising I sat down with it to type this chapter. It's the longest chapter by far (14 pages!) to make up for my absence ^^ Sorry for any errors, I finished the chapter at midnight then fell asleep xD My Wi-Fi was down so I couldn't post immediately like usual :{**

**Btw, during my absence, ff sure has changed a lot! :o**


	31. Castigate

Chapter 30

_Castigate- [kas-ti-geyt]To criticize or reprimand severely. Scold or reprove._

"Are we there yet?" Lauren asked for the umpteenth time that hour. They had all woken just as the sun breached the horizon and began scaling the sky. Big puffy clouds scattered around, none as ominous as the other day. If they clouds decided to produce rain, it wouldn't be a storm. They had found a lone mango tree along the way and breakfast was plentiful. They took some for the road and had been walking for hours.

"We are!" Bella saw an arrow fashioned out of sticks that Rosalie had definitely constructed. It pointed up at a giant and steep hill in front of them. "How are we supposed to climb that?" Bella mused aloud quietly.

"OH MY GOSH! THIS HILL IS TOO BIG!" Lauren screeched angrily. "We walked all the way here, FOR THIS?"

Lauren's voice rang through everyone's head, causing everyone to flinch and cover their ears.

"What's all the ruckus?" Rosalie asked, peering over the side of the hill. "Oh great, you made it. Come on up."

Everyone exchanged confused glances. "How are we supposed to do that?" Quil asked, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his voice could carry to Rosalie.

The blonde gestured to the numerous rocks jutting out of the hill, along with the deformed trees. "Just rock climb. We haven't finished making our vine ladder yet."

"Well this isn't going to be easy." Felix griped in annoyance. Angela clung to his back, leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"We can do this. We just have to figure out a way." She whispered to him.

"Okay," Jacob started, taking charge. "Some of us are going to need help getting up this hill." A few nods ran through the group. "Quil, do you think you can make it on your own?"

The boy in question snorted a laugh. "Jake, I can barely walk. Climbing is out of the question."

Jacob sighed. "I kind of figured. Okay, Edward, do you think you can help him?"

The pale boy looked at Jacob and glared. "Sure." He replied coolly.

Jacob was taken aback by his attitude but turned to Felix who was still carrying Angela. "Do you think you'll be able to carry her up the hill?"

Felix looked up at the hill. "I believe so. But I'm going to be exhausted by the time I get to the top." Felix turned his so he could catch Angela's eye. "Hold on tight okay? I don't want to drop you." Angela squeezed his body and snuggled into him. "Just don't choke me." he teased.

"I wonder how we should climb the hill. One at a time, all at once…?" Jacob mused while watching Quil mount Edward who grunted with effort. "Lauren, Jess, do you want to lead the pack and be the first to climb?"

Jessica seemed hesitant to be the first but Lauren brightened at the challenge. "Lead? Well, I'm definitely leader material. I'll show you boys how it's done." Lauren turned her back to the boys and jumped onto the low hanging tree that was growing out of the base of the hill. Being thin and agile finally came in handy. She easily maneuvered up the hill and was halfway up before Jessica followed after, albeit, warily. Jessica wasn't as agile as Lauren, but she too made it up the hill as though it wouldn't be tough. Then again, both girls played a couple sports and weren't carrying someone on their backs. When they made it to the top, Rosalie helped them over and they stood beside her, looking down at the others still waiting on the ground. It had taken the girls less than fifteen minutes to make it up the hill.

"Well that doesn't look so hard." Edward muttered and also began scaling the hill. He made it into the first tree and already sweat was beginning to form on his brow. Reaching out, he gripped one of the rocks and released his feet from the tree in favor of having them dig into the mountainside. Slowly but surely he made his way up the hill, but it was quite a task. Once he made it to the second tree, he paused and rested briefly. He was only a third of the way, but even from the height, if he fell, he'd be badly injured.

Quil shifted off Edward's back while he rested and looked down at the Felix, Angela, Jacob and Bella below on the ground who evidentially were looking up at him. He gave them a thumbs up and they smiled.

"Okay, Felix do you want to go next, or should I?" Jacob asked the teen, who had sat down a when Lauren had first scaled the mountainous hill. Angela rested in his lap, still glancing up at Quill.

"I'll go." Felix replied with a sigh.

Jacob leaned over and hefted Angela up so that she was standing on the ground while Felix stood up. "Feel anything yet?" Jacob asked her quietly.

Angela smiled up at him before looking down at her feet. "Yeah. A little." She replied a beat late. Everyone knew she was lying, even Bella, but no one commented on this. Instead, Felix crouched down and Jacob helped the teen onto her boyfriend's back. "Okay, I'm situated." She told Jacob once she'd gotten securely onto Felix's back.

"I guess it's time to do this then." Felix looked up again and saw that Edward and Quil were on the move again. He walked over to the hill and hoisted himself onto the first tree. Climbing wasn't so bad, his arms still had a few muscles and he was able to make it a third of the way up the hill with little to no problem.

Jacob watched his friends climbing higher and higher up the hill. "It's our turn now." He said to Bella who nodded. "You first. I'll go after you so just in case you stumble, I can help you."

Bella turned towards the treacherous looking hill and began ascending. Even though she was tired, her body had lost a lot of weight the last few days so it wasn't too hard to climb it. But even with her light frame, she barely had any muscles to keep a good grip on the rocks. So she had to move quick.

Everything seemed to be going fine at the moment. Edward and Quil were nearly at the top, but Edward was coated in a thick layer of sweat and his grip on the rocks were slipping. "Almost there. Almost there. Almost there." He muttered to himself.

"Dude, are you alright?" Quil asked, mildly disgusted that he had to cling to a perspiring boy. If Edward thought his grip was slipping, being in Quil's position was much worse. His hands couldn't keep a grip on the guy and his legs were sliding. "Can you hurry up?" Quil asked nervously.

"I'm trying." Edward growled. "Leave me alone." A slight breeze rolled in and Edward shivered. The shivers loosed Quil's grip and soon he was no longer attached to Edward's back but falling from the top of the hill towards the second pair who was right behind them.

Felix looked up and saw Edward and Quil nearly make it to the top. He grabbed a rock and slid his body upwards. When he looked up again, he just had time to make out Quil's body rushing towards him. He couldn't even block him or Angela when Quil finally made it to the pair and knocked into them causing Angela to go flying off Felix's back and towards Bella who was climbing a few feet below. Jacob saw everything happen as though it were in slow motion. Bella was going to be knocked to the ground and very much injured. Her health was already poor. As quick as he could move, Jacob launched himself up and over Bella, intercepting Angela's path to the oblivious girl below. He caught the falling girl before sliding down the hill, picking up a few cuts and scrapes, before tumbling to the ground. Angela moaned and Jacob looked her over quickly. "You okay?" he asked concerned.

Angela blinked at him tiredly. "I'm fine. You're the one that took the brunt of it." She looked over at his arms and legs. "Jeez Jacob, you're cut everywhere." Thin trails of blood escalated down Jacobs arms and legs.

"Nah, I'm fine." Jacob told her, looking over the few cuts. "This is nothing. I'm fine." He smiled at her before a scream rang through the air.

"ANGELA! ANGELA ARE YOU OKAY?"

The pair on the ground looked up to see Felix, practically shoving Quil off of his back while he turned his head to look down at his fallen girlfriend. "I'm fine!" Angela called up to him. "Don't worry about me! Just get Quil up to the top! Jacob saved me!"

Felix glared at Quil and mouthed something threatening that Angela and Jacob couldn't make out. Whatever he said made Quil shudder and they both glanced down at the grounded pair. "Jacob, I trust you. Get her to the top without _incident_." At the last word, Felix returned his glare to Quil who quickly averted his eyes.

Jacob and Angela watched Felix make it to the top where Rosalie and Jessica helped them over. Edward was lying on the ground by everyone's feet, breathing heavily after the exertion it to climb the mountain and Bella was slowly but surely making her way to the top. Jacob silently cheered her on before gathering his wits, and Angela. He walked over to the steep hill and began ascending it for a second time. Even with his cuts and bruises from the fall, Jacob was still able to climb the hill with little problem. By the time he made it to the top, everyone was waiting for him and helped Angela off his back.

Felix quickly hurried to Angela's side and embraced her in a hug before kissing her plump lips chastely. "You okay for real?" he whispered near her ear. Angela blushed heavily from the kiss and nodded against his chest. Felix's shoulders seemed to sag with relief and he quickly scooped Angela up bridal style before walking through the trees and into the clearing that was the campsite.

"Jacob, you hurt yourself." Bella murmured with wide eyes, looking at the dried blood streaking his arms and legs.

Jacob smiled and waved away her concern. "No, don't worry. I'm fine."

Rosalie did a once over on him and seemed to come to the same conclusion. "Well Jacob, we have a waterfall so you can wash up in it if you so desire." Rosalie's nose wrinkled at the thought of him declining. "Okay everyone, follow me." Rosalie led the way to the campsite, even though it wasn't necessary. Felix and Angela had already taken a spot next to Eric who was, as usual, staring up at the sky with a neutral expression. Emmett was drinking from the waterfall, but looked up when Rosalie approached.

"Where is Alice and Jasper?" Rosalie asked when she approached Emmett.

Emmett pointed to the beach and Rosalie looked down to and just made out two figures playing in the water. "How cute. They're so happy to be together. Is it really okay for Jasper to be moving though? What about his wounds?"

Emmett shrugged his shoulders. "I checked on them today, it's completely scabbed over new skin seems to be underway so I think he should be fine." Emmett crossed his arms. "They said they'd bring up some food before dark." A sigh escaped him. "Burying Ben was hard."

Rosalie looked up at Emmett startled. "Where did that come from?" she asked bemused.

Emmett nodded towards Eric before lowering his voice. "Burying Ben was hard," he repeated. "And I'm scared we're going to have to do the same for him. His injuries are really bad and he's not getting better. It doesn't help that he's completely given up on life."

"This island sure is doing a number on us." Rosalie griped. "We're too young to be having these problems of burying friends. I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever get rescued."

Emmett wrapped an arm around Rosalie. "Don't give up hope Rose. We will be saved. Any day now." Emmett's voice trailed to an end just as a shriek filled the air. Everyone in turned in shock to Lauren who was tearing down half of the campsite.

"STOP HER!" Rosalie screamed.

Emmett and Jacob hurried forward and grabbed each of Lauren's arms to keep her from tearing down more clothes that was a makeshift shelter, protecting the inhabitants from the sun. Lauren writhed around trying to break free. "Those are _my_ clothes!" she yelled. "Who gave _you_ permission to _use_ them that way?" she spat angrily at Rosalie.

Rosalie quirked a blonde brow. "Are you seriously getting that heated over _clothes_?" Rosalie scoffed at the girl. "Don't be an idiot. We only used what was at our disposable. If you haven't noticed, we're sleeping on rock—outside! The clothes at least give us a slight barrier against wind coming from behind us, and it sort of feels like we're camping instead of just sleeping outside. Don't be selfish! Leave the campsite alone."

Lauren looked ready to strangle Rosalie. "I don't care if it gives you a sense of security at night. They are my clothes!" Lauren growled. "And I _want_ them _back_!"

"Do you think I care?" Rosalie asked, laughing sarcastically before walking over to Lauren and poking her in the chest. "Consider this my house_. My house, my rules_. If you don't like it, _leave_. We're keeping the clothes were they are and if you touch them again, I will tie you up." Rosalie turned her back to Lauren and walked away to check on Eric.

Lauren looked murderously angry but when Jacob and Emmett released her, she turned away from the campsite, grabbed Jessica's arm and walked towards the edge of the cliff where the tree's blocked their view of the others. "I hate her so much." Lauren grumbled, kicking the dirt before sitting down and having her feet dangle over the side.

Jessica sat down beside her friend and listened to her rant for what seemed like an eternity. All the while, she kept to herself how much the guilt of killing Alice had welled inside of her and soon she would be reaching her breaking point.

~S.O.S~

Alice splashed Jasper with the salty water before collapsing into a fit of giggles. He tackled her lightly and planted a soft kiss to nose. "Ready to head back?"

The short haired girl reached up and pushed a lock of Jasper's hair out of his eyes. "Sure. Let's find some food first." She replied before Jasper jumped to his feet and outstretched his hand. She gladly took it and was soon standing up with the waves crashing softly at their feet.

"I didn't want to ruin the moment, but do you think you can help me?" a voice asked, startling the pair out of their entrancement with each other. Two pairs of eyes locked on a slender boy who was taller than Jasper.

Jasper and Alice exchanged glances. "What's wrong?"

~S.O.S~

"I hate it here." Lauren complained for the hundredth time. "I want to go home." Lauren kicked her leg in the air dramatically but careful not to push herself over the edge.

Jessica had only been half listening to the girl beside her. She kept thinking about Alice. The guilt had consumed her. Sleep wouldn't even come peaceful for her the last couple of nights. "I think we should tell them." Jessica whispered quietly.

Lauren didn't even need to ask what Jessica was talking about. Instead she stood up and turned to leave. "We're not having this conversation again."

Jessica quickly stood as well, wobbling for she was close to the edge. Walking towards Lauren, she reached out and grabbed her arm lightly. "Lauren. I can't keep this a secret. If we explain that it wasn't intentional, maybe they'll understand."

"Understand what?" Lauren snapped. "That we knocked her unconscious and left her to die because we didn't want her to leak the secret of the spring?" Lauren quickly lowered her voice.

Jessica was about to respond when something clicked and she released Lauren's arm as if it had burned her. "Why do you keep saying 'we'?"

Confusion saturated Lauren's face. "What do you mean?"

"_We_ didn't knock Lauren unconscious. _We_ didn't want her to leak the secret." Jessica's eyes widened as everything was suddenly put in perspective. "Stop saying _we_! _I_ didn't do anything to her. It was all _you_!"

Lauren's eyes turned into saucers before narrowing angrily. "But you went along with everything so you aren't guilt free." She retorted.

"You're right," Jessica began sadly. "But now is the time to make things right." She turned towards the trees and prepared to head through and confess to the others the truth. Surprise colored her face before turning to pain when she felt a strong grip yank her by her hair, causing her to stumble backwards. A slight yelp escaped her and she felt a few strands rip from her head as Lauren released her. "What are you doing?" Jessica rasped as a couple involuntary tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

"No." Lauren replied simply. "You will not tell them anything. Do you know what they could do to us? We need to stick together. I will not have you telling them our secret."

Jessica scoffed at Lauren. "I don't care what you want anymore. I'm going to do it and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Jessica turned to leave once more and soon enough found herself in the same situation. Her hair was once more in a firm grip, only this time, she had been expecting it. So pulling back her arm, she slung it forward and struck Lauren in her stomach. Lauren's release was immediate as the wind was knocked from and had her collapsing to her knees. "I don't know how we were ever friends." Jessica glowered at the girl beneath her. Lauren looked up at her and sneered before reaching out, grabbing both of Jessica's ankles and causing the girl to fall flat on her back. Jessica prepared to scream but Lauren crawled on top of her and wrapped her hands around her neck squeezing warningly.

"Don't make me do this!" Lauren whisper-yelled. "Let's pretend none of this happened okay? This conversation never happened. Kapish?" Lauren slackened her grip so that Jessica could respond. But instead of words, Jessica spat in her face. Lauren wiped the fluid from her cheek and laughed darkly. "I see." She spoke before returning to squeezing the life out of Jessica. "Well, we can't have that now can we?"

~S.O.S~

"We need to tell Rosalie right away. It's a good thing you found us when you did." Jasper reached out and placed a hand on the taller boys' shoulder. "Don't worry Embry, we'll save them." Jasper linked his free hand with Alice's before the trio headed over to the bottom of the hill.

"I've been looking for…anyone for almost two hours. I was about to give up hope when I saw you two on the beach." Embry smiled. "It's good to see familiar faces. These last few days have been hard."

Jasper nodded in understanding. "Trust me; it's been hard on everyone." Jasper lifted his shirt and bared his wounds to Embry who turned pale from the sight.

"How did you get those?" Embry asked quietly.

Jasper laughed softly. "That's a story for another day. I don't want to scare you."

"That's for the best. I haven't been in my right mind lately. Everything seems to scare me—

A scream pierced through the air and Embry nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Like that." He mumbled, using the scream as an example.

"Who was that?" Alice asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but let's hurry to the hill so we can find out." Jasper suggested and thy picked up the pace.

~S.O.S~

Jessica had managed to free Lauren's hands from her throat momentarily and let loose a quick scream before Lauren had slammed her fist into Jessica's nose, breaking it swiftly and causing blood to gush out violently. Jessica moaned in pain and the fight seemed to go out of her. Pain was all she could focus on and Lauren knew the fight was over. "I won't have you spilling the secret." Lauren whispered, pushing the girl's body closer to the edge. "You'll take it with you to the grave." Footsteps could be heard just past the trees and Lauren knew she only had seconds before the others would be upon them. "Goodbye Jess." Lauren shoved the brunette over the side just as someone broke through the trees behind her.

"Oh no! Jess!" Lauren looked over the edge, feigning concern for her falling friend.

Rosalie looked over the edge as well and her eyes locked on the falling girl. Almost as if in slow motion, Jessica's body first hit part of the steep hill before being pushed away as though she were flying. Her hair flew up beside her, some even getting in her bloody face, masking it from the people above. If they could see her face, they'd see shocked blue eyes that were still watering from the pain of a broken nose. As her body made its way closer and closer the ground, she knew she was going to die from the fall and resigned herself to it. Maybe it was only fair. Alice had died because she didn't stand up to Lauren. Maybe this would be her retribution. If she saw Alice in the afterlife, she would apologize zealously.

A sickening crack reigned through the air when Jessica finally hit the ground, landing right beside Alice. Jessica looked over at Alice and blinked slowly. "You…alive." She whispered as blood began to fill her mouth. The guilt that she had been carrying with her, immediately diminished. "Alive." She gargled. Reaching out her arm, she found it wasn't moving correctly, but instead was twitching. Without moving her head, her eyes looked over and she found it twisted at an odd angle. Completely broken, she felt no pain in her arm, or anywhere else for that matter. Even her nose had ceased with its relentless pain. "Lauren." Jessica looked into Alice's eyes as trying to convey to the girl that it was all Lauren's doing.

"Lauren?" Alice repeated puzzled.

"Cliff." Jessica tried again. "Laur…" speaking became too much as the blood began filling her lungs. Jessica started coughing, her body convulsing in spasms. Her eyes remained locked on Alice's until she was no longer looking at the girl, for her heart had stopped beating.

**A/N: So I saw the Amazing Spiderman yesterday (btw, it was an AMAZING movie) and during the previews, it showed a clip from Breaking Dawn pt 2. Boy oh boy, I am too excited for that movie now. It looked great! It may be the best one *crosses fingers* Anywho, you all still reading and enjoying the story? ^^**


	32. Turbid

**A/N: I have a weird case of writers block…not really sure why. Maybe it's because I've been home for months…longest summer ever. I can't wait for classes to start. So! I will be taking a brief hiatus. Not sure how long...surely not TOO long o.o But when I return, I'll finish S.O.S and immediately after, I will post the first chapter to the sequel of Remember Me.**

Chapter 31

_Turbid- [tur-bid] Confused; muddled; disturbed._

Alice, with her hand still locked with Jasper's, stood before the hill as a body flopped down beside her. She turned to look down at the brunette and was shocked to find Jessica. A fall that high was sure to lead to death. This couldn't be happening! But she had heard the sickening crunch that filled the air. Alice watched Jessica blink languidly before opening her mouth to speak. "You…alive." Jessica's mouth began to fill with blood and for a moment, Alice couldn't tell if it was the blood that was gushing out of her nose or if it was internal bleeding. "Alive." Jessica garbled once more. Her arm twitched and Alice glanced down at it to find it bent at an inhuman angle. There was no way it couldn't be broken. "Lauren." Jessica spoke again. Alice locked eyes with her and tried to decipher the meaning behind Lauren's name. It seemed important and Jessica looked at her as though wanting to say more, but was unable to. As much as Alice pondered it in that moment, she couldn't figure out what Jessica meant.

"Lauren?" Alice repeated puzzled.

"Cliff." Jessica tried again. "Laur…" Alice watched Jessica struggle with the last word before locking gazes with her and holding it until her last breath.

Jasper had to shake Alice to snap the small girl to her senses. "You okay Alice?" Jasper asked upon seeing the already pale girl blanch.

Alice looked away from Jessica's body and began to sob into Jaspers chest. His disheveled shirt absorbed most of the tears and he held her tightly. Jasper exchanged a shocked glance with Embry. "That was so unexpected." He said to the boy while trying not to look at the dead girl at his feet. "I don't want to be insensitive, but we need to tell Rosalie about Embry's problems or more of will perish." Alice sniffled but looked at him understandingly.

At the top of the hill, Rosalie tore her eyes from Jessica's lifeless body and looked down at her feet at Lauren who was staring at Jessica as though she were looking at a ghost. Blanched skin, breathing shallow, she was even trembling. "You okay?" Rosalie asked softly. "I know she was your friend, and this must be really hard for you. But don't look, it'll be easier if you don't look. Trust me."

After a few long seconds Lauren tore her eyes away and looked up at Rosalie. "I think I'm going to get some water." She spoke almost inaudibly. Getting up, she hurried through the trees before Rosalie could say anything else.

The blonde looked back down at the fallen girl and sighed. "Another body to bury." She muttered morosely. She hated burying her peers. Her yearning for home only grew stronger. Rosalie was tired of being on the island. They had been there too long and now that deaths were becoming common, it only made their escape of the treacherous place more important.

"Rosalie?" Embry called after cupping his hands around his mouth.

The girl in question sought out the questioner and was surprised to see Embry. "Hey Embry." She responded. "Did you need something?" she asked puzzled. Her eyes kept glancing at the body and it was unnerving. She'd get Emmett to bury it immediately. Next to Ben who was buried on the other side of the hill.

"A few of our peers are caught in a cave. The opening collapsed and I can't dig them out myself." Embry admitted, looking down at his scraped hands. He'd tried for hours but some of the rocks were just too heavy.

Rosalie was shocked to hear this. "Okay. Wait right there." She told him before heading back to where everyone was gathered under the bunker. "We have a problem." She addressed them quickly. Emmett was finishing up vine the ladder he and Rosalie had been constructing the past couple of days, Eric was napping, Bella and Jacob were reading from a book, Felix and Angela were whispering about private matters, Quil was playing tic tac toe in the dirt with Edward and Lauren was quivering with her knees drawn close to her body, eyes covered by her arms.

"What's the problem?" Jacob asked, looking up from the book.

"Embry is waiting at the bottom of the hill. He says some of our classmates are trapped in a cave. We need to go with him and dig them out." Rosalie shifted on her feet nervously. "There's something else too."

"What?" Emmett asked, setting down the completed vine ladder and looking up at the blonde.

Rosalie took a deep breath before answering. "Jessica fell off the cliff. She's dead and someone is going to have to bury her body."

A collective gasp rang through the group. "Are you serious?" Quil asked incredulously. "Is this a sick joke?"

Rosalie shook her head quickly and tried to regained control of the whirlwind emotions inside of her. "No. It's not a j…joke." Rosalie felt her mouth become dry and her shaking hands she placed behind her back. First the death of Ben, the savage mauling…now Jessica's backbreaking demise…

Emmett leapt up from his spot, nearly jostling Eric awake. Instead he moaned in his sleep while Emmett wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and drew into a warm embrace. Turning to the others while Rosalie buried her head in Emmett's chest, he began talking. "Jacob, Felix and Edward. I'm going to need you to come with me to help Embry. Since Quil can't walk and the girls need to stay here and take care of Eric and bury Jess."

Rosalie looked up at Emmett desperately. "I can't bury another body." She whispered.

"You have to be strong. Alice is down there with Jasper right? She'll help you." Emmett returned his attention to the guys. "I don't think we'll be gone long. Is everyone okay with this?"

Felix looked at Angela the way Jacob looked at Bella before both released a relenting sigh. Neither wanted to leave the girls but they tried to see the bigger picture. Their classmates were in danger and needed their help. Setting aside their selfish need to refuse and stay by their girls, they both looked to Emmett. "It's cool with us." Jacob answered after exchanging a nod with Felix.

"I'm fine with it too." Edward muttered.

Emmett clapped his hands together. "Great. Let's move out." He then released Rosalie, gave her a peck on cheek and grabbed the vine ladder. "This will make getting up and down the hill easier." He motioned for them to follow him before walking over to the edge of the hill. Looking down, he saw Embry. Jasper and Alice all gathered around Jessica's body. He then walked over to some of the trees behind him and tied the vine ladder to the thickest of trees and gave a hard tug. It seemed secure so he tested it out by climbing down. He made it to the ground in less than five minutes. It definitely cut their travel time, up and down the hill, by more than half.

The boys followed behind Emmett who walked over to where Alice and Jasper were digging a hole with their hands. Embry was helping but wasn't working as efficiently as the couple. Jessica was behind them and Alice was stiff with this knowledge. Once all the boys were on the ground Emmett walked over to Embry.

"We're here to help." Emmett told the boy who stood up from and wiped the dirt from his hands. Jasper also rose for he was also going to go along to help where he could. Emmett seemed to have different ideas. "Jazz, you should stay here with the girls. We don't want your fresh wound to split."

Jasper rolled his eyes but didn't argue. If it meant spending more time with Alice, he couldn't complain.

"Hurry back." Alice called to them, glancing up at them briefly.

"Of course." Emmett flashed a smile before Embry began leading the way to the cave where their peers were trapped.

**A/N: I found out recently that after you pop joints back into place, you're supposed to put a splint on them….Quil received no splint. The poor boy is going to now live his life with a permanent limp because of me o: Oh well, anywho, I hope everyone is enjoying the story, I see more people have added this story to their fav's/alerts and I must say thank you to that ^^ Also thanks goes out you lovely reviewers :D **


	33. Vociferate

Chapter 32

_Vociferate- [voh-sif-uh-reyt] To speak or cry out loudly or noisily; shout; bawl._

The boys walked for over an hour before finally making it to the cave-in that Embry told them some of their peers where trapped behind. The cave was relatively small, as tall as a person and a few feet wide. Unless it was deep, it seemed preposterous that more than one student could be hidden in its recess. "I hope it's a deep cave." Felix muttered as he looked at the large rocks blocking it.

Embry shrugged. "I never got to see inside."

Jacob looked the cave up and down before glancing at the others; eyes landing briefly on Edwards. "Okay, I guess we can't just stand around here. Let's get to work."

Edward narrowed his eyes at Jacob when the larger teen looked at him. "Don't tell me what to do." Edward growled.

Jacob was taken aback by the hostility. "Uh…"

Felix glanced between the teens and cocked a brow at Jacob before leaning over to whisper into his ear. "What beef do you have with him?"

Jacob shook his head, breaking the eye contact he'd been holding with Edward. "To be honest, I have no idea."

"So…?" Embry began confused. "Are we going to get them out or not?"

"We are." Jacob told him before walking over to the cave and stooping low to help lift a large piece of rock. Felix helped and the boys grunted in effort as they removed the large stone. Embry hurried over to lighten their load and after much glaring towards Jacob, Edward joined as well.

The boys worked hard, removing the larger stones and occasionally kicked smaller stones out of the way. They worked for an hour before significant progress was made and a small opening was made so that light from outside filtered into the hole.

"Hey!" Embry called into the hole. "Y'all okay?" Jacob and the others gathered around Embry, trying to get a peek inside.

At first there was silence, then a scuffling noise could be heard and an eye peaked out of the hole, startling the boys. The eye blinked and disappeared, replaced by a mouth. "GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!" a feminine voice shrieked.

The boys started at the anger and Embry sighed. "Leah, we're trying. You'll get out soon."

"HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DIG US OUT?! EMBRY, WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I AM GOING TO BEAT YOU SO HARD! HOW DARE YOU TRAP US IN HERE!"

"But I didn't trap you there!" Embry defended himself feebly. Leah's screeches drowned out his excuses.

Felix covered his ears before his irritation go the better of him. Shoving Embry out of the way, he peered into the hole. "Shut up! We're getting you out, but we don't have to. Keep complaining and we'll keep you in there." He threatened.

Leah was about to comment when someone else pulled her away from the hole. "Just shut up would you? Let them finish. I don't want to stay in here longer than necessary."

"Is that Alec?" Felix asked while looking at the ground skeptically. He'd stepped on something, not ground or rock, and removed his foot quickly, only to pale and stumble backwards.

The boy inside the cave responded in the affirmative. "Yeah, it's me. Now would you hurry up and get us out of here? I need to find Jane!"

"Isn't she in there with you?" Embry asked confused.

Alec shook his before remembering that no one could see him. "No, it's only myself and Leah. I thought Jane and Jared were out there with you." Now it was Alec's turn to sound perplexed. "Are you telling me that they are not?"

Embry scratched the side of his head. He remembered the cave in and was almost 100% sure that Leah, Alec, Jane and Jared had all walked into the cave together. "No, it's just me-

Embry was cut off mid-sentence by Felix who placed his hand on Embry's shoulder, and giving him a fierce look. Silently, he pointed to the ground where a pale hand lied unmoving under a pile of rock.

~S.O.S~

Rosalie just couldn't do it. She could not make herself climb down the vine ladder and help her peers bury Jessica. So she left that up to the pair already going about the task, and returned back to the others in the bunker. Everyone remaining, aside from Eric, seemed to be distraught over the news. If Rosalie didn't know any better, she'd think Lauren was having a panic attack…

Quil was the first to break the silence that had ensued after the news. "So what now?"

This caused Rosalie to cock her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked, allowing her puzzlement to lace her tone.

"Jessica is dead-

Lauren flinched from the words and curled up into herself more. "Shut up! SHUT UP!" she screamed suddenly, causing everyone to start and Eric to wake up groggily. "Don't mention her!" Lauren snapped, standing up quickly and glaring at each person before walking over where the few trees separated them from the edge.

"I didn't think she cared for Jess that much." Angela whispered sadly. "It must be hardest on her to know her best friend is dead."

Bella nodded in agreement, before a moaning had her eyes turning to the boy laying down a few feet away. Rosalie also heard him moan and was soon by his side.

"Hey, go back to sleep." She spoke softly, leaning over to brush his short hair out of his eyes. He had broken out in a cold sweat and this caused her to frown. "Are you okay?" she knew it was a stupid question, but it slipped out before she could rephrase.

Eric looked up at her with dilated eyes. "It...h-h-hurts." He stammered then grit his teeth. "My legs. The pain!" Eric reached out suddenly and grabbed Rosalie by the front of her shirt. "Make it stop Rosalie! Make the pain end!"

Helplessness consumed Rosalie. She gently pried Eric's fingers from her shirt and instead griped his hand in hers. She had no idea how to help the boy and it tore at her heartstrings. "You want some water?" she asked calmly, trying to hide her distress.

Eric shook his head feebly and soon tears streaked his cheeks. "I just want to go home." He cried softly. After a couple minutes of crying, Rosalie noticed his grip slackened and she released his hand once it was clear he'd fallen asleep.

"Let's try to be quiet and not disturb him." Rosalie said quietly to the others.

"Do you think we'll be rescued soon?" Angela asked Rosalie.

"We've been here for so long. I'm starting to wonder if anyone is looking for us." Quil grumbled.

Rosalie captured all of their attention by waving her hand in their direction. "We've been gone for a long time. There's no way someone isn't out there looking for us. We just have to sit patient, stay alive," she gave a sidelong glance to Eric, "and wait patiently."

Bella and Angela seemed to take in her words as though they were a life raft while Quil still seemed skeptical. But he didn't comment or refute her words so Rosalie felt like everyone had at least calmed down.

"I'm thirsty." Angela murmured softly. "Will you help me get some water?" she asked Rosalie and Bella.

"Of course." Bella replied, standing to her feet before leaning down to help get Angela to her own as well. Rosalie came over and slung Angela's arm across her shoulder. Together they formed the crutches Angela needed in place of her legs.

"I meant to ask," Rosalie began as they walked slowly to the small waterfall. "What happened to your legs?"

Angela looked down at the feet dragging behind her. "I'd say it's a long story, but it's not and it's not like we don't have lots of time."

Rosalie smiled and looked expectantly at Angela. "True. Now spill."

~S.O.S~

It took them a couple hours, but Alice and Jasper successfully buried Jessica. Alice was so shaken at the end, that Jasper had taken her back down to the shore and calmly reassured her that they would be alright, everything was okay, and it was alright to cry; which she did. The tears seemed endless and Jasper knew that there was nothing really he could do, except wrap his arms around her and wait out her sudden onslaught of emotions.

After a while, Alice sniffled and wiped the last of her tears away with her shaking hands. No words were needed, she merely rested her head on Jasper's shoulder and closed her eyes as the sun began its decline. In about an hours' time, the sun would disappear and they would be plunged into darkness.

"Let's get some food for the others." Alice suggested as she was able to get a hold on her emotions. Jasper stood, and then held out his hand for Alice, who clasped it tightly before standing up herself. They walked for a while until they came across a mango tree that they knew resided. Alice knocked down four, and passed two to Jasper. How they'd get the fruit up the hill was a mystery even to them.

~S.O.S~

Jane laid next Jared. Both were so different in color, height and gender. Yet at the same time, looked exactly the same. While Jane was a short and pale girl with disheveled short pale brown hair, Jared was much taller, toned with a more bronzed color and had black hair. The differences between the two were impossible to not perceive, yet there was something that made them both look identical.

"I've never seen a human body look so…flat." Embry broke out with a strangled gasp. "Is this real? This can't be happening!" slowly Embry was reaching a new height of hysterics. "THIS IS NOT REAL—

A slap rang through the air and rustled the leaves above. Embry's trembling body froze in that instant and relief washed over him. "You okay now?" Felix asked harshly, drawing back his hand, prepared to slap the boy back into control.

Embry nodded slowly, one of his hands coming up to caress the blazing the cheek. "I'm fine."

Felix snorted and then turned back to the bodies. Embry was right. None of them had ever seen a human body so flat. They weren't paper thin like how they'd be portrayed in the cartoons. But instead, it was like every bone in their body had been crushed, leaving them to look deflated and broken. Since the rocks _had_ in fact fallen on them, Felix deduced that every bone in their body, including their skull, _was_ in fact broken. Some pieces of their bones protruded out of their bodies at disfiguring angles. Their blood had seeped into the ground around them, and dried, looking like they'd been there a while and were molding into the forest.

Earlier, when Felix had spotted the hand, he'd motioned for the others to silently help him uncover what lied beneath, even though they all had their suspicions which proved to be right. Now, unfortunately, they had to finish removing the rocks from the cave in, and tell the surviving pair inside that they were lucky as their peers didn't share in their fate. It would be especially hard for Alec, seeing how Jane was his sister.

It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that the bodies remained untouched. The boys mutely walked around the bodies and continued their task, even while Leah kept asking what Embry's outburst was about. No one had the heart to tell her presently, for they knew Alec would overhear and who would want to be the bearer of bad news and tell him his twin sister had fallen mercy to the cave-in?

After what seemed like hours, but was merely ten or fifteen minutes, the small hole that Leah was using to yell at the boys with, became large enough for the two teens to crawl out of. The boys helped the pair out without them hurting themselves or touching the bodies on the ground.

"It's about time! Could you boys BE any slower with digging us out?!" Leah raged relentlessly. "I mean come ON! I could've done this much faster my—

"JANE!" At first, Alec had been ignoring Leah's tirade, that is until he spotted his sister lying immobile on the ground, covered in blood. He pushed Leah out of the way and squatted down beside his twin. "Jane." He cooed softly, eyes glistening over and heart breaking at the sight. He gently reached out for her hand which seemed to be one of the only places her body hadn't suffered as severely. In fact, her hand didn't even feel broken. Alec sat there for a long time, holding his now deceased sister's hand, and crying noiselessly. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon, the little light they had left began to disappear and while the others had given Alec his time to mourn, they needed to leave before creatures of the night arrived.

Jacob leaned down over Alec and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey," he spoke softly so to the downtrodden boy. "We have to go. It's not safe here at night." Alec looked up at Jacob and blinked slowly. He nodded once, then placed Jane's hand gingerly back down next to her before standing up and turning away from his broken sister. Once Alec had merged with the group, they began their trek back to the bunker in complete silence. Even Leah knew that now was not the time to complain.

**A/N: I missed you guys :'{ Y'all still reading? I know it's been a while o_o I didn't mean to be gone so long, but I had a death in the family ._. Took a while before I felt comfortable writing again. But I'm back ^^ **


	34. Anamnesis

Chapter 33  
><em>Anamnesis- [an-am-nee-sis] The recollection or remembrance of the past; reminiscence.<em>

"You'd better catch it on the first try." Jasper narrowed his eyes at the blonde on the top of the hill. Said blonde pursed her lips and placed her hands on her thinning hips.

"Just throw the stupid mangoes." Rosalie griped. "Stop wasting the five minutes left of sunlight and throw—HEY!" While Rosalie had been about to put Jasper in his place, he hurled the mango at her like a (American) football. The teen barely had time to react, luckily catching the fruit and glaring down at the boy. Just barely, she could hear Alice chastising Jasper for his actions. "Stupid idiot." She grumbled before letting the others know she was ready to catch the other fruit they tossed up at her, less viciously than the first one. After all the fruit was safe and sound at the top of the hill beside Rosalie, the pair began to climb the vine ladder. Jasper had some difficulty, what with his wounds, but made it to the top with Alice nonetheless. On the positive side, he didn't split open his wounds from the exertion.

Once they'd gathered up the fruits, they walked over to the others to split their findings.

~S.O.S~

Lauren was in a state of utter despair. She couldn't escape the overwhelming guilt that engulfed her entire being. She sat with her knees locked and pulled up with her arms were around them. Her forehead rested against them as the turmoil of emotions continued to drive her insane. _'I killed _her_. I ruthlessly pushed her down the hill. _Me_. It was all my fault! At least when it came to killing Alice, I could shoulder some of the blame onto her. But now… What am I going to do now? What will they do to me if they find out that I killed her on purpose? I can't believe I killed her! She was my only friend here. Now I'm left alone here. It's all my fault. All my fault. All my fault. All my fault. All my fault…_'

Her thoughts continued on in and endless loop. She blamed herself immensely. The others tried to talk to her, and when the mango was split, they offered her a slice. But she didn't eat it, she didn't acknowledge them, she didn't move. She stayed in her spot, lost in her own self-pitying thoughts. Nothing anyone said could help, and they seemed to know and gave her space.

It didn't seem like much time had passed before a slight commotion could be heard as the boys returned to the bunker safely with their rescued peers in tow.

"Oh that's convenient." Leah commented when she noticed the clothes creating a tented area. "Much nicer sleeping quarters than the past few days." She immediately took the vacant spot between Quil and Eric. "What the heck happened to him?" he asked in horror when she noticed that Eric's legs were covered in bloody rags.

Rosalie pinched the bridge of her nose and frowned slightly. "We've been through a rough patch. I'm sure we've all got stories to share with each other. For now, let's get comfortable before we discuss such things. It's going to be a tight fit, but I think everyone should be able to fit in sleeping area." After Rosalie had finished talking, she took a seat next to Eric, while Emmett sat on the very edge next to his girlfriend. Jacob reclaimed his spot next to Bella, while Felix sat down next to Angela. The others sat closer to Lauren, as there wasn't much room anywhere else. Edward sat directly next to Lauren, wanting to be as far away from Jacob as possible. "Oh, we have mangoes by the way. We saved some for you all." Rosalie passed slices of mangoes to those who had returned and soon everyone empty bellies were partially filled. "So Leah, you asked what happened to Eric?" said boy was currently asleep, although no one could tell as the sun had set.

Leah swallowed what was in her mouth before speaking. "Yeah." She replied softly.

Rosalie reached out and blindly sought out Emmett's hand. She then began explaining what happened to her and the others. She told everyone present about her adventure on the island and the tragedies that befell her peers Ben and Eric. It was hard to reclaim, but she told them because she felt like they had a right to know. However, she kept the part about herself having to finish off Ben in an act of mercy. After she finished telling her story, Alice told the story of how she and Jasper survived. It was shorter than Rosalie's story, a Rosalie covered some parts for Alice. After Alice, Bella told a longer story of how she had survived and gotten everyone together. By the time she was finished, most of the teens had fallen asleep. The only ones left awake were Bella, Jacob, Felix, Rosalie and Leah.

"So tell us your tale Leah." Jacob prodded gently. Bella was leaning against him softly, head against his shoulders, fighting to stay awake.

Leah drew in a sharp breath and released it in a huff. "I must say, this has been one of the worst vacations ever." She griped sourly.

"_What is all that noise?" Leah asked, annoyance clear in her voice as she opened the door to her cabin, only to have Tyler rush past her and duck under her bead. "What the—_

_Lighting crashed and drowned out everything that Leah said and thought. She took one last glance at the cowardly boy hiding under her bed before heading out to the deck where everyone was running around like chickens with their heads chopped off. Rain immediately drenched her, and with the temperature having dropped, she shivered as she made her across the slippery deck. Leah spotted most of her classmates leaning over the railing. Then, unexpectedly, Austin was launching himself off the boat and into the sea below. This had Leah absolutely flabbergasted and she quickly took a spot next to Lauren who was blubbering over the boy going overboard._

_"Is that a glacier?" Alec asked surprised. _

_Leah overheard Jared yelling a response, but found herself unable to process anything as her world began to spin into chaos. She wasn't sure what hit the boat, but one moment she was standing on solid ground, the next she found herself sinking into the depths of the ocean. The cold clinging to her body, overwhelming her senses and leaving her unable to move or process any thought. Death was imminent as she began to sink. Just as Leah closed her eyes to embrace in her fate, slender arms wrapped around her and suddenly her head broke the surface, air engulfing her lungs and sending her into a coughing fit as some water had entered her lungs. _

_After nearly coughing up her lungs, she felt half of her body no longer in the water. Opening her eyes she hadn't realized she closed, Leah found herself floating on what appeared to be a small door that used to belong to the boat. She tried to pull more of her body onto the door, but was too drained and it began to sink with more weight. So instead she let her legs trail behind her._

"_You…okay?" a tired voice asked beside her._

_Leah turned her head a bit and found herself face-to-face with the guy who saved her. "I'm f-f-fine Embry." She stuttered from cold. _

_Embry was still swimming in the water, but had his hands on the door. She noticed his feet kicking behind him and was steering them away from the wreckage. It was so dark, she could hardly see anything, and with the wind howling, she could hardly make out any noises aside from Embry's splashes against the water and his words. "Before the sky got this dark, I saw an island up ahead. I guess I'll steer us in that direction." He spoke calmly. Being directly next to him allowed her to hear his words clearly._

"_I can't swim." She told him guiltily. _

"_I know. Don't worry about it. I think I can get us there. Just hold onto this and stay afloat." He replied._

_Leah sighed, the weight of their situation beginning to dawn on her. "Do you think the others are okay?" _

"_I doubt we're the only ones to survive." Embry responded truthfully. "But this is quite a pickle we're in."_

_Leah didn't respond. Instead she closed her eyes and allowed the swaying of the ocean to lull her to sleep._

_Leah knew just by the feeling underneath her body, that she was not sleeping on her bed. Her hand twitched and the ground beneath her fingers shifted. She cracked open her eyes and was assaulted by the afternoon sky. She covered her eyes with her hand and sat up slowly. The vast ocean sat a few feet away, carelessly crashing against the shore. She looked down at the tanned sand beneath her and found the door that had allowed her to float atop it, lying next to her._

"_Oh good! You're finally up!" Embry jogged over to her from a coconut tree behind her. "I was beginning to worry. You've been asleep for almost three days."_

_Leah's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "THREE DAYS?!" she screeched._

"_Well technically if you'd slept through today, it would have been three days." Embry scratched the back of his head nervously. "I think you were in shock or something."_

_The news of her slumber had Leah shivering in fright. But she masked it and instead glared at Embry. "You should've woken me up." She snarled._

_Embry frowned and passed her a coconut and sharp rock. "I would've but I was really nervous. I thought you might've died…but then I noticed you breathing so I figured you'd wake up eventually." He then began to bludgeon his own coconut, creating a jagged hole with which he was able to obtain the milk inside. Leah followed his lead and was soon drinking the sweet milk and realized for the first time that she was hungry. After consuming all of the liquid, she broke the coconut into pieces before eating the fleshy insides. _

"_Where are the others?" she asked, finishing up the coconut. "You haven't run into anyone in the past couple days?" Leah asked confused. "We can't be the only ones to have survived." She mumbled, worry settling into her stomach along with the coconut mix. This made for a bad combination and soon she was upchucking everything she'd just eaten and drank._

_Embry patted her back awkwardly, then helped her to her feet so she didn't step in her own vomit. "I never traveled far. I didn't want to leave you. There could be others around here, and now that you're awake, we can go check…"_

Leah paused in her story-telling and fiddled with her fingers. "We spent the next few days looking for the others. We then came across Alec, Jane and Jared. They had all ended up on the island together. Jared knew how to fish so they were actually eating really well. Then when we looked for even more survivors, Alec and I got caught in the cave-in and I think you know the rest."

Everyone was a tad confused by the abrupt ending, but left Leah alone. Some things about the island where best left unshared, and they figured that she just wanted some time to herself.

"Sounds like you had it fairly decent though." Rosalie noted. "Not too bad of an experience compared to some. I must admit, I'm a bit jealous." As Rosalie was speaking, she laid down and rested her head against Emmett's open arm. His light snoring had always been a soothing sound.

Leah shrugged before realizing that no one could see her. "I suppose. Although being trapped in a cave wasn't the most fun thing. But I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep." She muttered, leaning back until her head touched the hard ground covered by what felt like a camisole. She fell asleep almost instantaneously, along with Rosalie who had nodded off after their conversation had ended.

"What do you think she's hiding?" Felix asked, managing to keep his voice down. Angela was asleep beside him and he ran his fingers through her hair softly.

Jacob didn't know it, but he was mirroring Felix's actions, but with Bella, instead of Angela. "I have a hunch, but I doubt it." Jacob replied dismissively.

Felix snorted at Jacob's lackadaisical response, but didn't press for further explanation. Fatigue was beginning to wear him thin and he decided to give in to the exhaustion by closing his eyes and falling asleep.

"Bella, you still awake?" Jacob whispered as quietly as he could. He felt the girl shift slightly before responding just as quiet.

"Just barely." She yawned, before finally settling down and also laying down instead of sitting up. Jacob followed her and she curled against him, snuggling into his chest.

Jacob silently reached out for her hand before clasping it gently. "I'm starting to wonder if we're going about this all wrong."

"What do you mean?" was Bella's sleepy response

"Maybe we need to build a raft or something and escape. We've been here for so long and no one has come to rescue us. Maybe we should take the initiative."

Bella shrugged against him, eyes haven closed. "But who's to say we would survive out there. We'd likely die on the ocean. I think we have more of a chance to live if we stay here. But Jacob…" Bella released a sigh and soundless tears seeped from her eyes, damping Jacob's shirt. "I don't think we'll ever get off this island. I think we're going to die here."

Jacob felt the tears and reflexively clutched Bella tighter to his body. "Don't think like that." He whispered harshly. "There's no way I would let you die here." He paused and drew in a deep breath as he thought logically. "But if we do die on this island," Bella shivered from the thought. "There's something I need to tell you."

Even though Jacob couldn't see her, he felt Bella move, as though she were tilting her head up in his direction. Her brow knit in confusion at his suddenly serious tone. When his hand slid to her cheek, she blushed and tried to look away. But the hand kept her looking in his direction. "What is it?" she spoke, suddenly breathless. Her heart hammered in her chest and the emotions lying dormant inside of her began to wrap around her like a blanket. She just couldn't place her finger on what it was called, having not felt it before.

"I love you." He confessed before leaning forward and planting his lips against hers.

'_That's what this feeling is called; love.' _She thought to herself, proud that she could place a definition to the feelings she was feeling. At that precise moment, she realized what was ensuing and her whole body went rigid while her eyes nearly escaped from their sockets.

**A/N: Wow, Lauren o.e So just in case anyone is confused about Lauren's 180 behavior, let me explain briefly. When she thought she killed Alice, she was able to shoulder some (if not all) of the blame on Jessica. So she didn't feel as guilty (if guilty at all) and her only instinct was survival. But what she did to Jessica was more like a backstabbing that hit her later, AND to top it off, she (and technically Jess) didn't kill Alice so just killed her only friend for nothing. She's not completely heartless as you can see. **

**And wow! That ending ^o^ Finally gave y'all what ya sought after for the previous…32 chapters O_O I need to stop holding out on y'all. But where is the fun in that? ;D I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! ^u^ **

**P.S: Thank you everyone for your condolences. Means a lot to me c:  
><strong>


	35. Buss

Chapter 34  
><em>Buss- [buhs] Kiss.<em>

Jacob's lips began to pull back when he realized that Bella was merely lying there frozen. Before rejection had a chance to wash over him, he felt a slight pressure against his lips, indicating that Bella had in fact, begun to respond. Relief washed over him like the wave that crushed their boat so long ago. He felt Bella cling to his shirt and push against him as if she were trying to mold their bodies into one.

They kissed, then pulled back with a light smack. Both breathless, it took a moment for their actions to be brought to words. It was Bella who spoke, very softly, yet her words rang clear in Jacob's love-hazed brain. "I love you too," she paused and chuckled lightly. "Albeit, I didn't understand what I was feeling towards you until now. You put a word to my feelings." She smiled in the dark, even though she knew he couldn't see it. He could hear it though, it carried in her voice.

"Really?" Jacob asked astounded, and a bit loud. Felix stirred, and someone's snore was interrupted. Jacob paused to see if he'd woken anyone up, but Bella had captured his attention when he felt a gentle peck against his lips. He still had one of his hands gracing her cheek, and she had mirrored him.

"Really." She replied. "You should've told me sooner that you love me."

Jacob merely shrugged and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I didn't think you'd reciprocate the feelings." He admitted. "But these last few days had me thinking more and more about it." Jacob paused in his stroking and sighed, his warm breath ghosting over her cheeks since she was still in close proximity to him. "Every time you got lost, or I was away from you," Bella flinched at the emotion in his voice. "It worried me so much." He shuddered and pulled her even closer, if that was possible. "I worries needlessly and that time you were gone for days killed me. Then you returned and everything seemed perfect again. Bella," Jacob took a shaky breath. "If you had remained lost, and we were to be rescued in that time, I wouldn't have been able to leave without you."

The weight of Jacob's words had a stunning effect on Bella. She felt wholly conflicted by his words. There were numerous times throughout their time on the island where she would not have come back alive. To think that Jacob would've continued looking for her, and not have gone with the people who could've saved him, it tore at her heart. What if she had in fact been buried by the hole that she, Alice and Mike had been trapped inside? Jacob would've never found her and wandered the island looking for her aimlessly. The thought of him dying because he was persistent in finding her, broke her heart. She couldn't—_wouldn't_ let that happen to him. They would stick together throughout the rest of their time on the island and keep each other safe.

"But you are safe." Jacob spoke after the lengthy silence. "And you're here, in my arms." Jacob gave her a quick squeeze as if to reassure his words that she was in his arms. "Don't leave me again Bella." He whispered sleepily.

Bella heard him began to snore and she smiled. "I won't Jacob." She told his resting body, before settling in for the night and succumbing to slumber herself.

Unbeknownst to the pair, their talking had roused one of their peers from his sleep. Edward lay awake that night, absorbing the information that he'd lost the girl he'd been pining after, to another. A permanent scowl seemed to be engraved on his face.

The next morning, Leah was the first to awaken. She sat up and looked around at the others who were still dozing. The sun hadn't even breached the horizon, but its pink hues danced across the blue skies, indicating it's soon arrival. She yawned briefly, before crawling away from her spot between Eric and Quil. Once she was far enough away from everyone, she stood up and let her eyes roam over her peers. Everyone looked in various states of disarray and dishevelment. When she found who she was looking for, she walked over to where he lay and shook him awake, none too gently.

Embry awoke after a few shakes and opened his eyes lazily. When he saw Leah hovering above him, he smiled before masking it with a frown and looking around quickly at the others who were still asleep. "You can smile. No one else is awake." She spoke quietly. Her words drew forth another smile from Embry. He sat up and Leah helped him to his feet. It still surprised her how tall he'd gotten in the last couple of years. She was so used to the boy being shorter than her, as she was nearly six feet tall. But Embry had skyrocketed and was a few inches taller than her, causing Leah to have tilt her head up when she wanted to look at him.

Embry leaned forward towards Leah, but she narrowed her eyes and gestured with her eyes to the others around them. "Okay." Embry sighed, then followed Leah as she began to walk to the edge of the hill. They skirted around the small thicket of trees that blocked the edge, then climbed down the vine ladder. "Where would you like to go?" Embry asked her curiously.

"Nowhere far." She replied, looking down at the ground beneath her shoeless feet. It looked darker than the rest of the ground. Her brow furrowed and she began walking towards the beach, and away from the weirdly colored ground. It almost reminded her of blood. Embry fell into step beside her and once they reached the shore, Leah sat down on the dry sand, but stretched out her legs so that when the waves crashed against the shore, it would dampen her feet. Embry sat beside her and took her hand in his own.

"Now can I kiss you?" he asked boldly of the temperamental female.

Leah smirked but nodded nonetheless and allowed the boy to eagerly kiss her puckered lips. The force from the kiss knocked Leah backwards and she pulled away from Embry to laugh. "Settle down you dog." She teased kissing him again quickly before pushing his face away from her. Embry pouted cutely before lying down next to her.

"Why do we have to keep our relationship a secret?" he asked suddenly.

Leah had been holding Embry's hand, released it after his question. "Your friends don't even like me." Leah grumbled. "If it weren't for us being on this stupid island, we wouldn't be together."

Embry sighed and moved so that he was in Leah's line of sight. "You don't know that." He muttered.

"We barely even spoke to each other when we went to school. You only came over to my house to hang with my brother, Seth."

"But if I had known how you felt—

Leah silenced him with a glare. "I was content with keeping my feelings to myself. Didn't you like that weirdo chick in our school? Cathy?"

Laughter wafted through the air as Embry reacted to Leah's words. "You must be talking about Claire." His laughter trailed to an end at the indignant look upon Leah's face. "I liked her over a year ago. It ended when she rejected me though." Embry released a quick sigh. "But that was months ago." Embry leaned down as if to kiss Leah, but instead rested his head on her stomach instead. "Now, I'll admit that I never thought I would grow to like you like this, but I have." He smiled, even though Leah couldn't see him. "Maybe getting stuck on this island was a blessing in disguise. It brought us together." He sought out her hand and held it gently in his own. "I don't want to hide our relationship." Embry told her seriously.

"You're friends," Leah griped. "I don't think they'll approve of you being with me." she grunted.

Embry laughed again, this time longer, until he felt Leah hit the back of his head. "Lee-lee," he used her nickname to make light of the situation. "I think they'll be happy I found someone I like. Jacob and Quil aren't exactly the most judgmental of people."

"I'm not ready to tell them yet." Leah spoke quietly.

Embry sat his head up and turned towards her. "Are you…embarrassed of me?" he asked suddenly, as realization dawned on him.

Leah's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"You are!" Embry jumped to his feet and looked down at Leah with hurt replacing the happiness in his eyes. "Fine Leah. We don't have to tell anyone about this _secret_ relationship." He stormed away and Leah watched him go. She was baffled at how the situation had gotten away from her. Embry's assumption was as far from correct as one could be. She wasn't embarrassed of Embry, she truly didn't think his friends would accept her, a hothead, to date him.

A sigh wafted through her parted lips. "What did I just do wrong?" she asked herself aloud.

~S.O.S~

Bella woke with the knowledge of last night fresh on her mind. She looked up at Jacob who was snoozing beside her. Her whole body was curled into the boy and she felt very warm. Not uncomfortably so, but pleasantly. Her heart fluttered as she remembered their first kiss, and she blushed from the memories. He loved her, and she loved him. It was all so overwhelming. She'd never felt this way about anyone before. It was new and exciting and had her feeling all giddy inside. The giddiness bubbled out of her, and a giggle tore out of her suddenly. She clamped her hand over her mouth at the sound, but it had already awoken Jacob. He blinked at her sleepily and the corners of his lips turned up in a smile.

"Good morning Bella." He greeted with a yawn before closing his eyes and falling back asleep.

Bella stifled the giggles at Jacob's weary behavior. It was early morning, the sun had graced the sky and if she had to guess, she'd say it was maybe nine o'clock. Time sure did move differently when no one knew the time for sure. She didn't even know how long they'd been on the island. Thinking back on it, it felt like they'd been stuck here for months. But when she recounted the number of times she'd slept on the island, it seemed more like a couple weeks. Weeks. Had they really been marooned on the island for _weeks_? And still not rescued? It sure did make her wonder if anyone was even looking for them anymore. If anyone had even started looking for them…

A shuffling of leaves had drawn Bella's attention to the small cluster of trees and bushes that blocked the edge of the cliff. Embry came storming through looking a flurry of emotions. Angry, sad, hurt, confused and annoyed. "You alright?" Bella asked him concernedly as he walked by her.

"Just peachy." He snapped before walking past her and near the small waterfall where he opened his mouth to get a drink.

Embry's retort caused a few others to awaken. Felix's snoring ceased as he woke. Since Angela had been lying on his arm, she woke too at his movement.

"Good morning Felix." Angela watched the boy wipe sleep from his eyes before returning the morning greet.

"How are your legs?" he asked before looking down at her long legs sprawled next to his.

Angela looked down at them as well and her brow furrowed in contemplation. Suddenly, her big toe twitched. Her face broke out in a smile and she turned to look at Felix with tears in her eyes. "Did you see, did you see?" she asked excitedly.

Felix nodded in elation and hugged her close to his body. "You're going to be alright." He smashed his lips against hers fiercely and a deep blush sprang to her face. "There's hope for you yet." He said as he pulled back to look at her fondly.

Angela's heartbeat faster with happiness. A small part of her had wondered if she were going to end up a paraplegic. But the twitch she'd been able to get her toe to do, had given her infinite hope.

Bella had watched the whole encounter, and she too was happy that her friend seemed to be improving. It seemed like miracles were still able to happen and it brought her some joy. Something she didn't feel much of after being stuck on the island for so long.

"Oh good. Everyone seems to be up." Rosalie grinned when she noticed that most of her peers were talking amongst each other. "We need to go forging for some food." She stood then, and Emmett, who was also awake, rose with her. "Leah gave me a great idea that I can't believe I didn't think up. We should try fishing." She looked to the others to see how they felt about this idea.

Jacob and Felix exchanged glances before turning back to Rosalie. "We've done that before. But it's hard." Jacob told her.

Rosalie nodded like she'd already assumed this. "I would think so since we aren't properly equipped. But I have a few ideas that may help."

~S.O.S~

Leah had remained on the beach for a long time, hoping against hope that Embry would return and they could go back to normal. Even perked up when she heard footsteps approaching her. Unfortunately though, when she looked up, it wasn't Embry. It wasn't even a single person, but four people instead: Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Felix. "Oh there you are Leah. I wondered where you went." Rosalie spoke as she passed by Leah and headed into the ocean. "Come on guys, let's see if we can gather up some grub!"

The others cheered briefly before following after Rosalie. Leah watched them with her eyes and quirked a brow at what they were carrying. Felix and Alice each held a long wooden stick that's tip had been whittled down into a spear, while Rosalie held onto a large piece of fabric. "What are you about to do?" Leah asked confused.

"Fish!" Rosalie cheered. "Maybe we'll get lucky and feast tonight!"

Felix rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. But it'd be nice to go to bed tonight not hungry." He relented.

"Come help us." Rosalie gestured for Leah to join them in the ocean and Leah cocked a brow. "I don't want to." She grunted, lying back down on the sand.

"You lazy girl! Everyone is doing their part today." Rosalie gripped. "Just in case we can't fish, there's another group scouting for the lands' fruit. You can't be the only one sitting about doing nothing."

Leah plugged her ears at Rosalie's words. They were annoying her. She was still upset over Embry and Rosalie wasn't helping. "Fine, I'll go help the other group." She grumbled, sitting up and looking over at Rosalie who was glaring at her.

"Whatever. Jacob, Bella and Embry shouldn't have left yet. So go find them around the bunker." Rosalie turned away from Leah and therefore missed the flicker of sadness that crossed her features at Embry's name.

"Nevermind. It's too far away." Leah stood and walked over to the others who were standing in the ocean. It came up to her knees and she stood beside Rosalie. "I'll help. What do you need me to do?" she groused.

~S.O.S~

"Okay, we'll try not to go far and get lost. But we will be gone for a while. Walking around this island sure does take up some time." Jacob spoke to the others around him. "I think we should take one of the suitcases with us so that we'll have an easier time carrying the fruit we find."

"Well aren't you the eternal optimist." Edward snarled, sitting next to Eric, while checking over his wounds.

"Excuse me?" Jacob directed his attention to Edward who ignored him. "What problem do you have with me?" it confused Jacob to no end, the animosity that Edward seemed to direct at him.

Edward's eyes briefly flickered to Bella, who was standing next to Jacob looked doe-eyed at the pair. "Nothing." He grunted before turning back to examining Eric's leg. Said boy was asleep.

"Whatever." Jacob turned back to the others. Embry was flanking his left and Bella his right. "I think we'll be fine today. But we must stick together."

"Of course." Bella agreed, taking his hand in hers.

Embry saw the action and looked up at Jacob surprised. "So you two are finally together?" he asked his friend.

Jacob held up their hands. "We are. I couldn't be happier."

"Congrats man." Embry clapped his friend on the back. "I wish we all could have relationships like that." He mumbled, waving away the questioning look Jacob directed at him.

"Hey Jasper," Jacob looked over at the boy who was lying down in between Eric and Quil. "You sure you don't want to come with us?"

Jasper shook his head. "Nah, I want the doc here to look over my wound and see if I'm okay. Then I may join Alice down by the sea."

Jacob nodded his understanding. "Well alright."

"Hey! What about me?" Quil asked with a frown. "Aren't you going to ask me if I want to come along too?"

Jacob shook his head and laughed at the annoyed look Quil shot him. "I already know you can't come with us. Your foot is barely healed. You'd slow us down."

"Hmph!" Quil crossed his arms while Angela laughed lightly beside him.

"I'm not going either." She told him. "We'll keep each other company."

Jacob looked over at the only two people staying behind because of their mental state. Lauren and Alec. Both had woken up and quietly kept to themselves on the outskirts of the bunker. Lauren had her back against one of the rocky walls that prevented them from falling off, knees tucked up and her chin resting on top of them. She was as quiet as she had been the previous day. While Alec had curled his body away from everyone, and was crying soundlessly over his sister again. Jacob decided not to bother them since they both seemed very emotional.

"Alright, let's roll out." Jacob passed Embry the suitcase before leading the way to the vine ladder. They each made it down the vine ladder without incident and set about to find some fruit. The first place they stopped by was the mango tree that Alice and Jasper had told them about. The tree had copious amounts of mangoes, so they pilfered a few, filling half the suitcase, before moving on to find other fruits.

The trio walked for a while, Embry and Jacob taking turns carrying the suitcase.

"Let's play the hypothetical game." Embry suddenly suggested as they wove their way around the island, in search of some food.

"Okay…?" Jacob glanced at his friend. "Start it off since I'm confused."

"Alright." Embry looked up at the sky. "Hypothetically speaking, how would you feel if we never got off this island?"

Jacob shrugged. "I would be upset. But I think we'd survive. Who knows, maybe we'd start a tribe here on the island." Both boys grinned at the thought.

"Hypothetically speaking, how would you feel if you won a million dollars?" Embry asked Bella this time.

The girl in question stroked her imaginary beard, causing the two boys to chuckle. "Well, I don't know what I would do on this island with a million dollars. Maybe use it as firewood." She joked.

Embry shoved her playfully before turning back to Jacob. "Hypothetically speaking, how would you feel if I were to date Leah?"

This question halted Jacob and Bella. Jacob looked at his friend in bemusement. "Leah? That's so random Embry." Jacob began to walk again, Bella following along beside him since she was still holding his hand. Embry fell into step beside Jacob, making sure not to drop the suitcase. "What, do you like her or something?"

Embry shrugged nonchalantly while his earlier conversation with Leah ran through his head. "We're playing the hypothetical game remember?"

"Right…" Jacob replied disbelievingly. "Well, _hypothetically_, if you dated Leah, I'd think you'd gone insane."

Embry visibly deflated and looked at Jacob sadly. "Really?"

"Yeah. Leah's crazy. She gets angry over random stuff and is basically a tyrant." Jacob shuddered at the thought of dating her. "But if she made you happy, then I'd wish you all the best." Jacob finished honestly, before ruffling Embry's unkempt hair.

Embry ducked away from having his hair messed up more than it was, then smiled at Jacob's words. "I knew it."

"Come again?" Jacob inquired.

"Nothing." Embry replied with a casual smile. "Is that a banana tree?"

~S.O.S~

"I can't believe this worked." Leah looked at the pale brown fish that was flopping on the sand by their feet. "We caught this and just with a piece of cloth. Unbelievable."

For the past two hours, they had fished. Rosalie had come up with the brilliant idea to use a large piece of cloth to try to capture the fish. They cloth, a small blanket found in the recesses of the suitcases from before, was halfway folded and acted as net. It was hard to keep the blanket folded when they fished, and it really only worked because they had three people. Emmett and Leah held the sides of the blanket together so that when they did capture a fish, it didn't slip through the sides. While Rosalie opened the blanket so that fish could accidentally swim inside where their fate was sealed. It took them awhile to perfect their routine but once they got into the groove, they managed to catch their first fish. A nice sized trout. Emmett had guessed it weighted about five pounds and it was a great start. It gave them hope that they wouldn't be starving tonight.

Felix and Alice weren't so lucky at first. But after the first hour, Alice was able to spear her own fish which was just slightly smaller than the fish Rosalie, Emmett and Leah had caught. Unlike the trio's fish though, Alice had killed hers so it was not flopping around uselessly.

They continued to fish and eventually had caught six. Most of which were caught by the trio, whereas Alice and Felix had only each caught one. "I think we did good." Rosalie stated when all six of the fish were wrapped in the blanket. "Not we have to find clean them. Anyone of you good at gutting fish?"

Felix and Alice both indicated they could take care of the fish with their spears. "But we'll need something to put the fish meat on." Alice told Rosalie.

"Leaves should be fine. But we should find some big leaves so it's easier to carry." Rosalie thought aloud. "Come on Em and Leah. Let's go look for some perfect leaves in the forest. And while we're there, we should probably gather some firewood too. We're eating good tonight!"

"Okay, while you do that, we'll get this fish up the hill. I don't think it'd be safe to handle the fish here because of all the animals."

Rosalie nodded in agreement, thinking of the jaguar. "Alright. Luckily there's the waterfall up there so you shouldn't make too much of a mess." She teased. "Alright let's get to work. I'm starving." Rosalie bid Felix and Alice farewell, before conferring with the other two briefly before walking towards the woods.

Alice looked at Felix and smiled cheekily. "Since you're the strongest, I think you should be the one to carry these up the vine ladder." Alice knew it would be tricky to climb the vine ladder with one hand while the other carried the fish. Which is why she nominated Felix to do it.

Felix rolled his eyes but picked up the blanket that had all of the fish. It was weighty, but not more than he could handle. "Whatever. But you're climbing behind me and if I drop one of the fish, you have to carry it up."

"Sounds fair." Alice had to admit, but she hoped Felix wouldn't drop one of the fish. It would be such a hassle.

~S.O.S~

"So should we get them or not?" Embry asked in exasperation.

Jacob shrugged. "It's not like they're bananas. You can't eat these raw. We'd have to cook them."

"Technically you can eat them raw. But they don't taste very good that way." Bella commented. "I think we should get them. Although I doubt Felix will be very happy about it."

"What makes you say this?" Jacob asked.

"Well he doesn't like bananas, and plantains are like their brothers."

Jacob laughed at Bella's words. "He'll be fine. Let's get some plantains." Jacob and Embry knocked down a dozen plantains and stuffed them on the now full suitcase. "Alright let's head back. I think we're pretty good. Tonight, we feast!"

They turned to leave when a shrill noise pierced the air, freezing them to their spot. Nearby birds flew from the trees at the sound and took off into the blue and cloud-free sky. A few land bound animals even pattered against the ground to escape the noise. The three teens exchanged glances.

"What was that?" Bella asked nervously.

Jacob shook his head. "I don't know. But I don't want to find out either. Let's go!"

~S.O.S~

Felix finally made it to the top and set the fish down, breathing heavily. He didn't think it would take so much work to bring the fish to the top. But numerous times he almost slipped or dropped the fish. As it turned out, one fish in particular was being stubborn and even with Felix trying his utmost to keep all the fish wrapped in the blanket, it still managed to escape and fall into Alice's waiting arms. Ironically enough, it was the one fish that Alice had speared. She carried it the rest of the way and once at the top of the hill, she grabbed the blanket of fish and walked over to the small waterfall, leaving Felix to catch his breath. Once said breath was caught, Felix followed after Alice and commenced with helping her gut and clean the fish. It was a tedious task, but made easy with the spears. Granted, they had to be careful not to break the wood on fish bone.

While they did this, Edward sighed and rewrapped Eric's legs. He'd been studying them all day. After cleaning the wounds with the water from the waterfall numerous times, he'd inspected the damage and he still didn't like the conclusion. Eric's legs were in terrible shape. Muscle and tendons had been ravaged and in certain places, bone was visible. But what concerned Edward the most was the sickly darkening color that his feet were turning. He knew what it was, but to voice it aloud would make the horror for his patient, that much more true. As long as he didn't say it, he could deny it was there.

"Whoa! What's wrong with his feet?" Quil asked suddenly after catching sight of Eric's feet which were turning a sickly black color.

"Gangrene." Edward replied before cursing under his breath. He'd said it aloud and that made everything suddenly more real. "Unless he gets medical treatment, he will die."

Quil eyed the fallen peer with pity and Angela gasped. Felix and Alice overheard Edward and paused in their ministrations. "He's going to die?" Angela asked softly.

Edward nodded grimly.

"But doc, isn't there anything you can do?" Quil inquired hopefully. "Maybe an herbal medicine? This island is full of leaves and stuff."

Edward felt the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. "Gangrene isn't like a cold. His tissue is dead and poisoning his blood. It's going to spread and eventually kill him. The only way to save him is if we could hospitalize him." Edward wanted to pull out his hair in frustration. "My dad has seen many cases of gangrene. It's a lengthy process, but it's fatal if left untreated. And his seems to be progressing rapidly."

Everyone fell silent and Quil asked the question that hung unanswered in the air. "How long does he have left to live?"

Edward studied the legs and took in account of their surroundings. "Maybe a week. Give or take a few days." He spoke solemnly. "But even if we were saved right now, they'd have to amputate his legs to save him."

This news shook everyone to their very core. Another peer was about to succumb to the horrors of the island. Death was becoming too common. It was a frightening fact, and there was nothing they could do to escape it.

Edward looked at Jasper who had been waiting all day to be examined by him. "Alright Jasper, your turn I guess."

Jasper braced himself for the possible news that his condition was similar to Eric's and lifted up his shirt for Edward to inspect him.

**A/N: So many relationships blossoming. How cute right? The story **_**was**_** going to end in the next chapter. (I actually had to rewrite it because it had been originally leading to the end.) But I got one (albeit disturbing) more twist for this story. Sooo, the story will be extended and a few more chapters are coming y'all way c;**


	36. Victual

Chapter 35  
><em>Victual- [vit-l] Food supplies; provisions.<em>

Rosalie offered her hand to Emmett who took it as he climbed off of the vine ladder. Leah was standing beside Rosalie, holding numerous leaves in her hands. Some threatened to fall to the ground, but she kept a secure grip on them. Most were as big, or bigger than her palm with a smooth texture. They weren't sure what kind of leaves they were, but hoped they weren't poisonous since they were putting their food on them.

"—no infection from what I can see." Edward spoke with a sigh of relief, just as Rosalie, Emmett and Leah walked into the scene. "It seems to be healing at a decent rate, but you really should restrict your movement for the next few days."

Jasper rolled his eyes, but also seemed relieved to find that his condition wasn't as bad as Eric's. "I'll live." He looked over at Alice who had come over from the small waterfall that she and Felix had rested the fish they caught. She relaxed her head on his shoulder and looked up at Edward thankfully. Jasper reached out and took her hand in his. She squeezed it happily before planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Of course you'll live. You know better than to get sick and leave me here." She whispered jokingly.

Jasper laughed and looked at Edward who was glancing in the direction of the small waterfall. "What is he doing?" Edward asked aloud whilst rising to his feet.

"We brought fish." Alice replied. "While Rose and the others gathered some leaves as 'plates', Felix and I did our best in gutting the fish and stuff…and let me tell you, cleaning fish with only rocks is really hard." Alice raised her hands to her nose and sniffed, causing her button nose to crinkle. "I need a bath." She sighed.

"We all do." Jasper agreed, looking down at his disheveled clothes. "As soon as we're rescued, a bath is at the top of the list. Along with some real food and a good night's sleep in a real soft bed."

Alice agreed, and watched as Rosalie and Emmett laid down the leaves near the designated area for the fire. Felix and Alice had already gathered enough pieces of wood from the trees around them, and outlined the campfire with rocks to keep it somewhat contained.

Leah began fiddling with the twigs and eventually sparked a small flame she was able to coax into a decent campfire. Afterward, the group figured out a way to roast the fish and once they deemed it cooked, they placed the hot fish on the thin leaves and passed around portions. Rosalie even brought over some for Alec and Lauren who had yet to move from their spots. With Eric passed out still, she left his food by his sleeping face. Angela, while recovering, still couldn't walk and Felix ate beside her, giving her some of his fish.

"This is the first time we can eat our fill." Quil announced with vigor, tearing into his portion of the food. "Almost makes this island bearable."

Emmett snorted and tore into his food. "I'm so ready to leave. Hurry up someone and save us."

"We'll be saved eventually." Rosalie told him. "It's a matter of time…I hope."

A sudden crunching noise had everyone's head turning to the small line of trees where the edge of the hill lay. Bella stumbled through with Jacob and Embry. The boys were carrying the suitcase and appeared breathless to the other teens in around the campfire.

"Why are you both so winded?" Quil asked incredulously.

Bella decided to speak for the boys who were catching their breath. "They took turns carrying the heavy suitcase up the vine ladder. But we ran most of the way back because we heard strange noises." Bella shuddered then noticed that someone had left her and the boys some fish. Large portions which caused her eyes to grow wide in astonishment. She took a few quick strides and walked over to where the still hot fish rested on some smooth leaves. Jacob and Embry soon joined her and while they ate, Rosalie opened the suitcase to examine their findings.

"Oh nice. We can save these and eat it tomorrow after we fish again." Rosalie looked at the trio and gave them a thumbs up.

The day flew by fast, as most of it was spent gathering food, and soon enough, the sun began its usual decline in the sky, indicating to the teens that it was time to rest once more. The fire had long since burned out, leaving them to the elements. To keep warm, they conserved body heat by all crowding in the area designated for sleeping.

While everyone was asleep, Alec blinked emotionlessly in the dark. His heart felt torn from his twin's death. He felt incomplete and didn't know what to do. The island had already made life difficult but this new tragedy was one that he didn't know if he could ever get over. Would the pain ever fade? How long would it take? His breathing began to grow shallow and tears erupted from his eyes before he could hold them back. He'd been holding back all day and finally he was able to release the pent up emotion that threatened to consume him lest he find an outlet. Alec cried for half the night before falling into a restless sleep. He woke before anyone else at the campsite. The sun didn't even breach the horizon, but daylight was fast approaching for the sky was beginning to change from its navy to magenta and fuchsia. The smell of cold fish sat stagnant next to his nose and he shoved it away roughly before getting up and walking quietly over to the edge of the hill. Alec couldn't stay with the others. He needed to see his sister and bury her properly. So he climbed down the hill and started walking to the cave that had buried his sister, causing her premature death.

It took just over an hour, and by this time, the sun had risen and began warming the earth. The warming air warmed his chilled body, but not his cold soul. Numb as novocane on teeth, Alec stopped a few feet away from the cave. The smell of rotting corpses assaulted his nose and caused him to stagger backwards. He'd never smelled such a horrendous odor before and was surprised at how hard it was to breathe in such a stench. He looked from the cave opening to the two bodies that lay broken side by side, untouched by animals but feasted on by bugs. It disgusted Alec to see his sister ravaged by flies, but such was the circle of life. He closed his eyes briefly and turned away from the scene. Not just Jane, he would also bury Jared. He nodded to himself before turning his back to the bodies and began digging with his hands.

"Hey Jane," he called out softly. "You remember that time when we were seven and it was Christmas Eve? You asked Santa for a pony and I asked for a superman action figure." Alec chuckled to himself softly. "That Christmas 'Santa' accidentally wrapped our gifts wrong and you ended up getting the superman action figure while I ended up getting a three foot tall stuffed horse toy." The tears stopped last night, returned but not as abruptly. As Alec continued to reminisce, a steady flow of tears streamed down his cheeks. It took him a long time, but eventually he'd buried Jared and was sprinkling the last of the dirt over Jane's freshly dug grave. He carved their names into the stone rocks from the cave in and laid them over top. "I'm going to miss you so much Jane." Alec sobbed once he was finished burying her. "So much."

"You can join her." A gruff voice spoke behind Alec, startling the boy from his sad reverie. Before Alec could turn around, he was hit over the head with a large rock causing him to black out.

~S.O.S~

Leah woke with a jolt and closed her eyes when she noticed that she wasn't in her bed back home, safe and sound. She peeked one eye open and with a sigh opened the other. Reality was unavoidable. She looked around and found Embry still asleep a few feet away. She crawled over to where he lay, careful not to wake up anyone else. Once she was by his side, she gave his forehead a little peck and pushed some of his dark hair out of his face. He stirred but didn't awaken. She felt this was for the better since they didn't seem to be on good terms as of yesterday. Not wanting to wake him, Leah crawled away from him and towards the burnt out fire. She sat by the cool remains and contemplated starting another one.

"Wait until we," a yawn broke the sentence Rosalie had been speaking. Once the yawn had passed, she blinked sleepily at Leah. "catch the fish. That way we don't waste wood."

Leah nodded in understanding then grabbed a mango from the suitcase. She cut it in four jagged pieces using a sharp rock. Passing one large piece to Rosalie, she grabbed one for herself and set the other two pieces together on some spare leaves. "We fishing again today?"

Rosalie took a bite of her mango and threw Leah a thumbs up. Once she'd chewed and swallowed what was in her mouth, she pointed to the suitcase and fishing supplies. "We'll divide into two groups again and one will fish and the other will search for fruits. While two groups are doing that, I think someone who stays behind should help separate the fruits and keep watch over the camp."

A cough off to the side alerted the two females that Quil had woken. "I can do that. What with my bum leg, it's not like I can do much else."

"Thanks Quil. Good job, stepping up like that." Rosalie praised before passing him a fourth of the mango. "Here, eat breakfast."

Quil accepted the mango graciously and as he ate, many of the others woke and more mangoes where sliced and divvied up. Once everyone was awake, they divided into two main groups, and the people who stayed behind were going to start sorting through the food so rationing could begin. The forging group that would head out into the woods for fruits consisted of Leah, Embry, Bella and Jacob while the fishers were Rosalie, Emmett, Felix and Alice Everyone staying behind either was either injured or in a state of distress.

~S.O.S~

Emmett splashed into the water and Rosalie chastised him lightly. "You're going to scare away all the fish away with your antics." Alice giggled as Emmett continued to splash the water, this time at Rosalie who gaped when the water drenched her front. Head to toe, she dripped and she was still standing on the beach. "Em!" Rosalie tromped into the water and splashed back her boyfriend who was howling with laughter. Felix shook his head, barely containing the smile that threatened to break out across his face.

"This is what we need." Alice said as she walked over to where Felix was standing a few feet away from the couple still splashing each other with the water. "Fun. We've been stuck here for so long that I think we've forgotten what fun was."

Felix merely shrugged. "How much fun can you really have while being trapped here?"

Alice thought about it. "Well, we could at least go swimming every now and again."

Felix shook his head. "Some of us can't do much walking remember?"

Alice face palmed. "Right…Angela, Quil or Eric even."

"I feel bad for Eric. I feel like I'm waiting for him to d—

"No!" Alice covered her ears. "Stop! He can live! He just needs help."

Felix placed a hand on Alice's shoulder awkwardly. "I know it's hard. Even I'm not totally immune to death. But we have to face the facts. He's not going to survive."

A couple tears managed to brew at the corners of Alice's eyes and Felix removed his hand and turned away from her. He always hated seeing girls cry. Grabbing his spear, he headed out into the water away from the splashing duo and the tear-eyes Alice, and attempted to do what he had gone out to do. Fish.

~S.O.S~

"I don't know how y'all didn't notice that the suitcase can turn into a backpack. It has straps for pete's sake!" Leah un-tucked the straps from the large suitcase and clipped it to the small hooks near the wheels. "Now it will be easier for you to carry the fruits up the hill. You guys are such idiots." Leah passed Jacob the suitcase and headed into the forest with Embry quick at her heels while Bella and Jacob exchanged confused glances.

"She seems feisty this morning." Bella noted as Jacob slipped the suitcase into his back. They began walking after the others.

"She's feisty every morning." Jacob quipped. "Trust me, I grew up with her on my street." They caught up with the group and decided to take a different route than the day before in the hopes to find more and different fruits.

They found a few spare watermelons and put three in the suitcase, filling half of it. "Well that was easy." Leah commented. "I should've come with you yesterday. Catching fish is lame."

"Thanks for the fish though. It was good." Bella smiled at her and Leah rolled her eyes.

"I'm not really a big fan of fish. It stinks." She complained. "But as long as we live right?"

"Right." Bella agreed.

"How long have we even been here?" Embry suddenly asked.

Everyone paused in their walking to think about it. "It's been a while. Weeks." Jacob pondered aloud. "About a month. Give or take a few days."

Embry sighed. "And we're still here."

"I beg your pardon?" Bella asked puzzled.

"We've been here a month and we're still here. If we were going to be rescued, shouldn't it have happened already? Whoever is looking for us had a month. Don't after a certain amount of time pass they presume us dead?"

Jacob shifted the suitcase on his shoulder and looked down at the feet. "It is true that after a while they just assume us to be dead. But I think that time is longer than a month. I hope. Jeez Embry, you sure know how to suck the hope out of ever being found."

"I'm sorry." Embry looked at Jacob ruefully. "This place doesn't help me garner hope. It feels like we're all going to die here to be honest."

Bella began walking and the others followed after her. "I don't know about you Embry, but I don't want to die here. Let's not think that way." She suggested. "We're surviving right now. That's all we can do right now. Survive and wait for the rescuers to come. They will come." She began fiddling with her fingers. "They have to." She whispered.

~S.O.S~

"There! Now our food is divided." Quil admired his handiwork. With the help of Jasper, they'd gathered some sticks and vines and built small boxes that the food could fit in. They made four boxes that were each around three feet tall. They used spare shirts to cover them and placed the remaining fruit in the makeshift version. The two mangoes left went into one box, while the plantains went into another. They felt the need to separate the fruit would help keep them organized. "I think I should reward myself with a banana." Quil reached inside and plucked a green plantain from the bunch before covering the box.

Jasper laughed and watched Quil peel off the skin. "Dude, that's not a banana."

Quil had just been about to take a bite. "What?"

"It's not a banana."

"Then what is it?" Quil looked at the banana-like fruit in his hand. "It looks like a banana. Are you pulling my chain?"

Jasper rolled his eyes and walked over to Angela who was reading a book in the shade and wiggling her toes. "May I borrow your glasses?" he asked kindly. "I want to try to start a fire."

Angela placed the book on her lap, then reached up and plucked off her frames, passing them to Jasper gently. "Be careful with them. I need them to see with."

"Of course." Jasper bowed graciously then walked over to where the campfire rested. "It's not a banana but a plantain." He finally answered Quil's question. "It's like a banana but you need to cook it before you eat it."

"Say what now?" Quil looked at the fruit again in distaste. "That's a lot of work for a green banana. I mean, I remember my mom once saying that green banana's aren't ripe so they aren't as sweet but this is a completely different fruit?"

Jasper nodded. "It's larger than a banana. I mean, you can eat it raw. It just won't taste as great as if you cooked it. Like a potato."

"A potato?"

"You can technically eat a potato raw…but who wants to eat a potato raw?" Jasper countered. "That's disgusting. We aren't that hungry." He laughed and adjusted Angela's glasses so that it reflected off the sun and on the wood he'd gathered the day before. A spark flared and eventually he was able to coax a decent sized fire.

"I guess you learn something new every day." Quil muttered before laying the plantain on a spare leaf so it wouldn't get dirty. "So we're going to roast it?"

"Indeed." Jasper agreed before finding a long skinny stick that would was perfect for spearing the plantain lengthwise.

"Just like a weenie." Quil smiled when Jasper passed him the stick and he began to hold it over the fire. "I hope it taste good that way."

"It should. I've had them roasted before and they taste fine." Jasper returned Angela's glasses then looked around the campsite and frowned. Eric was where he always laid, breathing as shallow as ever but he was able to get him to eat something earlier so he deserved a gold star for that and Lauren was still curled up off to the side. Something was out of place, but Jasper couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Hey Quil, who went out fishing?"

"Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Felix." Quil responded before taking a bite of his roasted plantain. "Not bad." He grinned up at Jasper.

"Who went looking for fruit?"

"Bella and Jacob," Quil made a kissy face, "Leah and Embry. Why? Weren't you paying attention?"

Jasper shook his head as his eyes roved over everyone still at the campsite. "Where's Alec?"

**A/N: Sorry about that y'all! Got a bf for the first time and life was steering me away from the computer. But anywho, I'll update as much as possible for the remainder of the month ^u^ I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, the next will be hopefully posted on Friday...the day the world 'ends', lol.  
><strong>


	37. Quotidian

Chapter 36  
><em>Quotidian- [kwoh-tid-ee-uh n] Daily; usual or customary; everyday<em>

"Three today. And they're kind of small." Rosalie poked one of the fish with her finger and recoiled when it began to flop like a—fish out of water. "I knew your splashing would scare off most of the fish!" Rosalie turned around to Emmett who grinned sheepishly.

"You splashed me too. So you helped scare them as well."

Rosalie threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Well whatever. We've been out here for a couple hours. I guess this is it for the day. Let's return to the bunker before we all end up getting sunburned. I don't want to look like a lobster."

"You'd be a cute lobster." Emmett teased, kissing her cheek.

"I would." Rosalie agreed before taking his hand and walking towards the hill.

Felix and Alice watched them go and looked down at the three fish still flopping about in the sand. "I guess we're expected to carry these then." He grunted, picking up two of the spastic fish. "This is going to be difficult to get up the hill. That's for sure."

Alice picked up the remaining fish and nodded. "Good job spearing them all."

"I guess." He grumbled. "I let them, as you put it, have _fun_. Since we've all forgotten what that was."

"That was very nice of you. Now come on, Rosalie was right. I feel the itching of sunburn approaching." Alice looked down at her reddening skin and began following after Rosalie and Emmett.

Once they made it to the top of the hill, Jasper was waiting for them. "Was Alec with you?" he asked, but looking at the small group, he knew the answer before they shook their heads. "Maybe he went with the other group…"

"I don't think so." Alice noted. "I saw the others who left and Alec wasn't part of the group. I thought he stayed behind with you all."

Jasper looked through the trees back at the others still at the campsite. "I guess he took off somewhere." He murmured.

Rosalie walked by Jasper and towards the waterfall. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably went just went to visit his sister or something. He'll be back."

"Oh right. Jane. That makes sense. I just don't want any more of us to go missing you know? We need to stick together." Jasper said.

"I know." Rosalie took a drink from the waterfall then looked at Quil who was patting his stomach affectionately and holding a long stick. "What are you doing?" she asked bemused.

"That was good. It was hard not to eat another one. But I counted them up and there's only enough for everyone to get two." Quil paused in his patting and pointed to the four boxes. "We made those to hold the fruit."

Rosalie smiled and admired his handiwork. "Good job Quil, Jasper. Too bad you can't make a freezer because then we can store fish."

"I know right?" Quil laughed and tears of mirth sprung to his eyes. "But it's nice that we aren't starving anymore. It feels more stable this way. More comfortable. Maybe this island isn't so bad."

Emmett walked by Quil and ruffled his hair. "Can't argue there. We've got a routine going and it makes this place seem kind of homey."

Felix scoffed Emmett's words and went to sit by Angela. "How's your feet doing? Have you exercised them?"

Angela wiggled her toes and smiled at Felix who was looking at her feet happily. "The feeling is slowly returning. It's kinda itchy though." She leaned down and scratched her baby toe. "But I'm just happy I won't be crippled." Angela's eyes glazed over with tears. Felix kissed her cheek and nuzzled into her neck.

"I'm happy for you too. You'll be better in no time baby." He turned her face with his finger under her chin and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Get a room." Quil joked, turning away from the PDA the couple were administering.

~S.O.S~

"Okay, I think we're good on food." Embry grunted, shrugging his shoulders against the weight of the suitcase on his back. He and Jacob had been taking turns carrying the fruit and it was currently his turn as they headed back to the bunker. They'd managed to find some pomegranates and papaya and felt happy with their spoils. The further into the island they went, the more fruit seemed to grow. Jacob suggested that next time they take the other suitcase so that they could store more fruit and maybe not have to go out every day in search of the fruits.

"Good idea." Leah complimented, then quickly glanced at Embry who studiously ignored her. She frowned and sighed before trailing behind him while Bella and Jacob, who were bringing up the rear, looked at the pair in confounded.

Bella poked Jacob and nodded towards the others. "Is it just me, or are they acting a bit strange?"

Jacob shook his head as his eyes glanced over Leah and Embry. "Nah, it's not just you Bella. They are weird today. It's like there's some tension between them."

"I wish they would cut it out. It's making things awkward for all of us." She grumbled softly so as not to be overheard by the others.

Jacob merely shrugged and continued walking. "I'm sure it'll be fine eventually. Personally, I think Embry likes her but she turned him down."

"What makes you think that? It seems to be the opposite to me. Look at how Embry ignores her. She's pining after him." Bella frowned.

"Yeah but remember what Embry was talking about yesterday? That's what makes me think that it's actually he who likes her and not the other way around."

"Hm." Bella thought about it for a moment. "I can see your point, but it still seems like she's crushing on him. I think they'd make a cute couple." Bella giggled softly and Jacob slid his hand into hers before lacing their fingers.

"They would, I agree. But we make a cute couple as well." He paused in their walk and kissed her cheek before pulling back and pecking her nose. He pulled back one last time before meshing his lips against hers gently.

A sudden scream penetrating the air had them pulling apart faster than a bullet escaping a gun. Bella felt goosebumps rise on her skin and she looked up into Jacob's wide eyes. "What was that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. But it sounded like someone was in pain." Jacob responded nervously.

"Extreme pain." Bella added. "That was almost inhuman. Maybe it was an animal."

"I hope so." Jacob whispered before tugging Bella's hand in the direction of Embry and Leah who were farther ahead and hadn't heard the scream. "Let's go."

It took them a couple hours to search for enough fruits to fill the suitcase and by the time they made it back to the bunker, the smell of cooking fish wafted down from the top of the hill. Once they'd climbed to the top, Quil told them about the boxes he and Jasper had constructed and they separated the fruits into them. The watermelon went into its own box, being that was so large while the pomegranates and papaya went into the same box, filling it over halfway.

"Nice harvest y'all got for us." Jasper commented when he saw the fruits nestled in the makeshift boxes. He then proceeded to grab a papaya that he split with Alice who was finishing up her piece of the fish.

Rosalie passed Jacob, Bella, Leah and Embry their small portions of the fish and apologized for the serving size. "We only caught three today."

"_We_? More like _me_." Felix grunted from his spot next to Angela under the tent area. "You and Emmett were goofing off like idiots."

Rosalie shot Felix a glare. "Don't get fussy with me. We were having a nice time." She blew a kiss to her boyfriend and Felix rolled his eyes in annoyance. "As I was saying, sorry for the small bit of fish, we'll catch more tomorrow."

"It's okay Rosalie." Bella smiled and took a bite of her fish. "We're eating much better than we were before." Her smile faltered as she looked down at her extra thin body. Before the boat mishap, she'd been a thin girl, but now she looked like skin and bones. She wasn't the only one who looked deprived of food. Angela and Alice looked similar and like they were starving. Rosalie, having been slightly bustier than the other girls, wasn't as thin but she could use a meal. The guys had also lost a lot of their previous muscle mass and it worried Bella that if they had continued living the way they had been before meeting up with Rosalie, if they'd have survived. Shaking away the disturbing thoughts, she continued to eat her fish with Jacob by her side.

~S.O.S~

For the next six days, the group fell into a routine. Rosalie, Emmett, Felix and Alice would go to the beach and fish, while Jacob, Bella, Embry and Leah would scour the island for fruits, taking different routes through there forest each time in hopes of finding the remaining two classmates missing and their teacher. They never did see hide nor hair if the missing people, but they did manage to obtain numerous fruits that filled the boxes back at the bunker. As the days passed, Eric's condition worsened, and eventually he stopped eating what nibbles they'd been able to force him to swallow. His face and torso turned a sickly grayish color and the gangrene spreading from his feet and up his legs left black and rotting skin to fester in the sun. Edward kept Eric's legs wrapped because the smell was horrendous and he didn't know what else to do.

"He's not going to make it another week." Edward whispered to the group. "Even if we were to be rescued right now, it's too late. He's too far gone."

Rosalie and Emmett glanced over to where Eric lay a few feet away, in and out of consciousness from the increasing pain. "There's nothing we can do?" Rosalie asked desperately.

Edward shook his head. "No, it's too late. I guess we should start preparing."

"Preparing? Angela asked.

"We should start digging a grave." Edward stated flatly.

The girls gasped while the guys looked at Edward in disgust. "He hasn't even died yet and you're already thinking about burying him?" Jacob growled.

"He will die soon. I'm merely talking of preparing for the inevitable." Edward snapped before throwing a glare at Jacob. "So shut your trap!" his glare traveled beyond Jacob and softened a bit when it landed on Bella who was standing next to the teen, hands linked. "I'm going to sleep." Edward grunted, storming past Jacob, making sure to bump his shoulder as he took a spot in the tented area as far away from the others as possible.

"What is his problem?" Jacob grumbled, massaging his shoulder.

"Probably Bella." Felix replied from his spot next to Angela who'd fallen asleep.

"What?" Jacob asked confused.

"Well I was informed by Angela not too long ago, that he and Bella shared a kiss."

Jacob's eyes ran from Felix's to Bella's. "What? Is that true?"

Alice, who was throwing the final log of the night into the fire, walked past Jacob on her way to lay next to Jasper. "It wasn't consensual." She spoke softly. "Edward grabbed her and kissed her. She didn't want to."

Even though it was dark, everyone could see Jacob's face tint red with the information. "I see." He squeezed Bella's hand protectively and she led him to their spot under the tent.

"Don't think about that now okay?" she asked him sweetly before nuzzling into his chest.

"I'll try." Jacob mumbled before closing his eyes. "But if he tries that stunt again, I'll knock his teeth out.

~S.O.S~

Lauren hadn't uttered a word in over a week. Ever since Jessica's death, she hadn't been the same person. She hadn't eaten either and this caused her body to wither down to such starvation that she was in worse shape than the other girls. She barely drank water, but thirst was worse than hunger. With everyone asleep, she stretched her body and stood shakily to her feet. The dying fire gave her just enough light to walk safely over to the small waterfall. She cupped her hands and drank deeply before slowly making her way back to her spot. Passing by Eric, she stopped when his hand reached out and grabbed her ankle lightly. Murky dark eyes bored into her own.

"Please." Eric whispered. "It hurts." Salty tears ran down his graying face. He didn't look like a teenager, but rather an middle ages man who was on the verge of death.

Lauren squatted down so she could hear him better. "What do you want?" she asked almost inaudibly. "I can't help you."

"Berries." Eric pointed to the bushes a few feet away from them. "Bring me some."

Lauren was confused by the request, but walked over to the bush and plucked a handful of the red berries. She returned to Eric and leaned over him. He opened his mouth and she carefully filled it with the berries. "They have seeds in them." She told him. "Aren't you going to spit that out?"

Eric shook his head slowly and chewed gently before swallowing with his face clenched like it hurt. He opened his mouth once more and Lauren poured what was left into his mouth before wiping her hands on her pants and preparing to walk away. "Thank you." Eric whispered before closing his eyes.

"You're welcome." Lauren replied before going back over to her spot and falling into another dreamless sleep.

**A/N: It's still Friday here, so I kept to my word and updated lol. I guess most of you gave up on this story XD**


	38. Bricolage

Chapter 37  
><em>Bricolage- [bree-kuh-lahzh, brik-uh-] a construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things.<em>

"He's dead." Edward solemnly spoke. "I thought he would've at least last another day."

"What's that red stuff on his lips?" Emmett asked, peering over Edward's shoulders. "Looks like blood. Did he bleed internally or something?"

Edward shook his head in confusion. "Impossible. There was no internal bleeding. Only trauma to his legs. What _is_ that?"

Rosalie was completely repulsed by the dead body. It brought back her memories of ending Ben's life and she didn't like recollecting on that particular memory. "I'll get some of the others to help dig a grave." She muttered to the two boys beginning to inspect the body.

Bella, sitting a few feet away with a sleeping Jacob by her side, overheard Rosalie and walked over to her side. "I'll help you." She spoke softly.

Alice joined the girls as she was coming back from the small waterfall after obtaining a drink. "Me too." She told Rosalie. "But where do you want to bury him?"

Rosalie looked around the raised stretch of land they were standing on. "I guess behind the yew bushes. I don't want to sound mean, but I want him there so I don't have to see it all the time and transporting him to the bottom of the hill would be too much trouble."

Alice and Bella nodded that they understood and followed Rosalie to behind the yew bushes where they would begin digging Eric's grave.

"Can I help?" Lauren asked, appearing out of nowhere. "I overheard you say that he…died." She whispered the last part and a single tear slid down her cheek before she wiped it away furiously.

Alice and Bella exchanged glances while Rosalie was speechless at the offer. Lauren had been very anti-social and depressed the last few days that they were caught off guard by her offer. "Of course you can." Bella finally responded after a moment of awkward silence. Lauren gave a small smile of gratification before joining the girls in digging a grave as best as they could with what they had around them.

~S.O.S~

"I guess we should stick with our routine for today, but we'll have to switch it up a bit." Emmett sighed. "Since the girls are digging that grave." He stood in front of the group with Edward a few feet away wrapping Eric's corpse as the smell was becoming overbearing. "Jasper, Edward said your wound has healed enough that you can move around more, but still be careful." Jasper looked up at Emmett in astonishment. "So you, Felix and I will fish while," Emmett turned his attention to Quil. "Hey, how's the foot? Do you think you can go with Jacob, Leah and Embry to search for some fruits?"

Quil shrugged. "I can, my foot's getting better, but I can't walk very fast."

"That's okay." Jacob slung an arm around his friend. "We can walk at a leisurely pace."

"I think it's a good idea for you Quil." Edward said from his spot, overhearing the groups plan. "It'll help you with the rehabilitation for your foot."

Quil smiled and looked from Edward, to Jacob and finally settling his eyes on Emmett. "Well, then it's a plan."

"Awesome." Emmett smiled then grabbed the cloth they used for fishing, before passing Alice and Felix their spears. "Let's go get catch some fish then."

While the fishing group headed out, Jacob gathered up his group so they could leave, and slung the suitcase around his shoulders. Before he set out though, he made his way over to where Bella and the others were digging the hole and gave her a quick kiss goodbye. "Stay safe." Bella told him before giving him a quick hug.

"Don't I always?" he joked, stroking her cheek before turning to leave.

~S.O.S~

"Okay grab that end." Emmett instructed to Jasper who was holding the cloth Emmett and Rosalie had used before to catch fish. "Make sure to keep a tight grip. These fish aren't weak." Emmett grumbled. "It was easier with three people, but two will have to do."

Felix watched the duo as he speared his first fish of the day and tossed it on the sand behind him. Glancing up at the sky, he frowned when he spotted clouds far off. He hoped it didn't rain because last time it did, it had hurricane effects and was nearly fatal. "Let's hurry up. Felix suggested to the others. "I think a storm is approaching."

Emmett looked up to the sky and was surprised to see the storm clouds. "It'll probably just be a light drizzle if it gets here. And that's a big _if_. We haven't really had any bad storms over here like you guys." Emmett shuddered at the thought. He wasn't partial to storms especially after the boating accident that had them all marooned on the island.

"Lucky." Felix grumbled, slicing into the water and spearing his second fish. He'd gotten quite good at spearing fish and it was one of the few things he was happy about. There was really only one thing the island had done that he was grateful for. Angela. If they had never gotten stuck on the island, he and Angela would never have gotten together and he found he cared for immensely. Felix kept these thoughts with him, as he fished and watched the two boys struggle to catch some grub. If they failed, at least Felix was able to get them two—his spear suddenly pierced through the side of another fish and he smiled. Make that _three_ fish.

~S.O.S~

Quil stumbled for the umpteenth time and Jacob reflexively reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, preventing him from falling to the hard earth below. "Be careful Quil." He chastised lightly. "We don't want to have to carry you back."

"The thought." Leah shuddered and Embry repressed a smile. "Stop going so fast you idiot."

Quil sighed. "I don't want to slow you guys down. I can walk."

"No, you can limp." Leah reproached. "Quite your babbling, we're not just looking for fruit today."

"We aren't?" Quil asked bemused.

"No. We're looking for Alec too. He's been missing for days and it's weird." Leah held a branch out of the way so the group could walk by and not get scratched. "I'm surprised no one has looked for him before. I hope if I go missing someone looks for me sooner."

"Of course we would." Embry reached his hand up, as though to stroke her cheek, but removed it quickly when he realized that Jacob and Quil where a few paces behind them. "I take it we're looking first by the cave?"

Leah seemed dejected at the lack of his touch, but she got over it quickly and nodded before leading the way once more. "I thought it'd be a good spot to cover first. After all, that's where he lost his sister."

Embry shuddered as he remembered the cave-in. "I can't believe that happened." He nearly whispered.

"Freak accidents." Leah responded. "Just be thankful you didn't caught up in it."

"Or you."

"Or me." Leah agreed.

Within the hour, they made it to the cave-in and weren't shocked to find the graves Alec had made. "Well, he was definitely here at some point." Quil commented.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Leah grunted. "He's not here."

"Didn't you just make fun of me Mrs. Captain Obvious?" Quil rolled his eyes at the dark haired female who flipped him the bird. "Maybe we should call for him. See if he's in the area nearby."

"That's a good idea." Jacob cupped his hands around his mouth before calling the name of his classmate. "ALEC? YOU THERE? ALEC!"

The others followed his lead but after a few minutes of needless shouting and walking around the immediate area, they found that their results remained the same. Alec didn't show up.

"Should we continue looking for him?" Quil asked. "Maybe he's close by."

Jacob looked at Leah and Embry. "Do you two mind if we continue to search for him? We still have a few hours of daylight and the camp is barely an hour away."

Leah shrugged, indifferent to the idea while Embry nodded that he was okay with searching. "Okay, let's split into pairs to cover more ground. This will be the meeting spot. Quil and I will go this way while you and Leah go over there. That okay?"

"Fine with me." Embry murmured. "Let's leave the suitcase here though. I don't want to carry that around all day."

"Okay, but make sure to keep it zipped up. We don't want any animals to pilfer what we've found." Jacob told him.

"Oh right." Embry shrugged off the suitcase and laid it against the cave-in.

"Okay, so we'll search for about an hour, and if we don't find Alec, then we should return here." Jacob looked to everyone once more to see if they were okay with this. No one complained so they broke apart and began to search for their missing classmate.

~S.O.S~

"All finished." Rosalie patted the dirt off her hands. It had taken them a while since they were basically digging with their hands and flat rocks they'd found lying around. The dirt was soft either, but they'd managed to get the job done. Edward had helped them lower the body into the ground and they even made a makeshift headstone. By the time they had finished, the fishing group had returned and gutted the fish. The campfire was lit and the fish was in preparation to be cooked.

"It looks pretty good. For a grave anyway." Alice commented before spotting Jasper and joining him by the campfire.

"I really hope this is the last death. I can't take much more of this." Bella commented while looking for Jacob but not finding him amongst the teens who had returned.

Rosalie agreed with a nod. "Come on, they're cooking the fish and I'm famished." They walked around the bush with Leah following behind them. As they passed the bush, Lauren grabbed a couple berries and opened her mouth to eat them by the handful.

"STOP!" Bella shrieked, knocking the berries from Lauren's palm where they fell and scattered across the ground. "What are you doing?"

Lauren, shocked from Bella's outburst, flushed a delicate shade of red. "What's _your_ problem?" she asked confused with irritation lacing her words.

Bella pointed to the bush filled with berries. "Don't you know those are poisonous? Just one can make you sick while more than one can be fatal!"

Lauren blanched and her hands began to shake. "What did you say?" she asked almost inaudibly.

"The berries," Bella stooped down and picked up one that she had knocked from Lauren's hands mere seconds ago. "They're poisonous. Don't eat them."

"Oh my gosh." Lauren took a step back from Bella and the berries. "_Oh my gosh!_"

Bella sighed. "It's okay, you didn't know. But make sure you heed caution." Bella then headed over to the campfire, leaving Lauren and missing what she said after.

"I _killed_ him."


	39. Clandestine

Chapter 38  
><em>Clandestine- [klan-des-tin] Characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious.<em>

"What's wrong with her now?" Rosalie asked Bella, nudging the brunette in the arm. "She was just okay. Why is she crying?"

Bella shrugged, also glancing at Lauren who, after burying Eric, burst into tears and began sobbing dramatically over near the mini waterfall. "Maybe she and Eric were closer than we thought?"

Rosalie shook her head. "I don't know. I've never seen her interact with him or anyone really. But if she's really upset about his death, let's just give her mourning time."

"That's fine with me." Bella agreed, then walked over to where Jasper and Alice were sitting, splitting a fish.

"No, _I_ caught more fish. That automatically makes me the better fisher." Felix was gloating while passing some fish to Angela who he'd brought over.

Emmett and Jasper glared at Felix. "You aren't better! We caught three fish! They were bigger than yours too! I think that makes _us_ the better fishers." Emmett growled.

Felix scoffed. "I caught _five_! And you caught one fish that was like what, an _inch_ longer than mine?" Felix chuckled before waving away Emmett's words. "Get over yourselves. You sucked today."

"Whatever. It's on tomorrow!" Emmett challenged. "And we'll have Alice, so it'll be way easier. You're going down Felix!"

"Do I hear a bet in your tone?" Felix cocked a brow in contemplation. "Because that sounds like a challenge."

Emmett grinned and nodded once in affirmance. "You bet! What do we have to bet though?"

Felix thought about it for a moment. "You have shoes, I think we're the same size. If I catch more fish than you tomorrow, I want your shoes."

Emmett looked down at his shoes and wiggled his feet. "Alright. But when I win, I want your watch."

"Why? It's busted."

"I don't care. I think it'd look better on my wrist."

Felix stuck out his hand towards Emmett. "Alright. Deal."

~S.O.S~

"Are you still angry at me?"

"ALEC?! YOU THERE?!"

"I'll take that as a yes." Leah sighed and followed behind Embry who was trudging through the woods and ignoring the conversation Leah tried to strike up numerous times.

"ALEEEEEC!" Embry had his hands cupped around his mouth as he continued to shout the name of his missing peer. A scuttling noise off in the distance could be heard and Embry began walking in that direction. "ALEC? IS THAT YOU?"

Leah followed after Embry when his pace quickened but stumbled over a raised tree root. Her face planted in the soft dirt, but the side of her head clonked against a small rock. She instantly blacked out with Embry walking farther ahead without her.

~S.O.S~

"Shouldn't they be back by now?" Bella asked, turning her head to peek at the few trees that blocked the edge of the cliff. At any moment, the fruit group could walk through and she was ready to greet Jacob with a bear hug and quick kiss. She hated when they were apart. It always left things up to the imagination whether he was hurt or not. She hated not knowing. The fish she had been given lay half eaten on a large leaf on her lap. Everyone else had finished their portion of the fish, while the fruit group's fish lay untouched on some banana leaves. "I mean, it's been hours. The day is nearly done." Bella pointed to the sky and its sun that had begun its descend. If one had to guess, it was late afternoon with night quick at its heels. "Do you think they're alright?"

Bella, along with Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Edward and Felix were sitting at the campfire. Angela, with the help of Felix, was back under the tents, reading a book, while Lauren was a few feet away from Angela, still crying but not as dramatically as before.

"I talked to Leah before they headed off to look for fruit." Rosalie said, addressing Bella with brief eye contact. "They might not be back today. I suggested while they were out, to look for Alec."

Bella's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

Rosalie sighed and threw a small twig into the fire. "He's been missing for a while and I want to make sure he's okay. He's been gone for a week! We should've sent out a search party days ago. But I guess it just slipped my mind."

"Oh." Bella looked down at her feet. "If I had known, I would've gone with the group."

"But we needed you here to help dig Eric's grave." Rosalie countered. "It would've taken much longer without your help." Rosalie smiled gratefully at Bella. "Don't worry about them okay? They're going to be alright. They'll be back probably tomorrow morning and hopefully with Alec in tow, and then you'll never have to leave Jacob's side again."

Bella shook her head sadly. "Every time we say we won't, something gets us apart." She murmured in defeat. "I just hope he's okay."

~S.O.S~

"Quil! Don't move!"

"Jacob, I swear if you're messing with me again, I'm going to cut you."

"No! Look by your foot!"

"I don't see anything…"

"_It's right there!_"

"Jacob you're scaring me! I don't see anything!"

"IT'S MOVING!"

"JACOB STOP IT! THAT'S A STUPID SQUIRREL! YOU HAD ME SCARED TO DEATH!"

Jacob snickered and walked up to Quil, clapping him on the back. "Just messing with ya Quil. I got bored again."

Quil massaged his temples. "You're a terrible friend."

Jacob slung his arm around Quil's shoulder and they proceeded through the woods once more. "What's life without a little scare?"

"_Fine_ Jake. Life is _fine_ without being scared!"

"Whatever Quil. I'm hungry, how about you?"

"Oh sure, change the subject why don't you." Quil grumbled, but followed behind Jacob as he walked up to a small almost unnoticeable bush filled with raspberries.

"Finally! A berry I know. Let's eat before we continue searching for Alec." Jacob reached out his hand and plucked a few berries from the bush, tossing them in the air and catching them in his mouth. He chewed the sweet yet tart berries and relished in the fruit. Quil followed his lead and stuffed his face comically, the juices dribbling down his chin. Jacob laughed at his friend and missed when he tossed the berry into the air to catch with his mouth. Instead the berry bounced off his head and rolled to the ground a few feet away and practically under a bush. Jacob watched the berry fall and was surprised when he saw that the dirt under the bush was darker than actual dirt. He paused in eating the berries and walked over to the bush, squatting and reaching out to touch the dirt. When his hands touched something soft and stringy, he realized it wasn't dirt at all. The berries in Jacob's stomach began to churn, and he blanched as he pulled the soft and string thing from under the bush. It was heavy, and after he'd pulled it out from under the bush, he fell over and it landed on top of him. The scream that lurched from his lungs pierced the air and in the core of his heart, Jacob knew he'd never be the same again.

~S.O.S~

"Leah! Leah wake up!" Embry patted the unconscious girl softly on her cheeks. "Leah…" he repressed the emotion that threatened to make his eyes secrete a salty liquid also known as tears.

He'd been walking and didn't notice at first that Leah had not been following him. The shock that ran through him when he turned around and noticed Leah a few yards back, lying on the ground unmoving, sent his legs into overdrive as he dashed back to her side. He dropped to his knees and lifted half her body up so she was slouching on him. For about an hour, he kept trying to wake her, but when she didn't so much as stir he panicked. The only reason he knew she was still alive was that he could hear her breathing when he placed his ear near her lips. By now, he knew it was about time he and Leah head back to the rendezvous point that Jacob had given them. Standing up, Embry slid Leah over his back and lifted her up so he was carrying her piggyback style. He had to keep a firm grip of her legs while her arms dangled across his chest. She wasn't as heavy as he'd originally thought, but it was still harder for him to walk. A sudden anguished noise could be heard off in the distance. It was far enough away that Embry didn't fear the cause of the noise approaching them, but the fact that he could hear it at all made him apprehensive and walk faster to reach the cave-in where he knew Jacob and Quil to be waiting.

It took longer than an hour, and by this time, the sun had sunken low enough that Embry knew he'd have to camp out at the cave-in because it would be too dark to travel. Stumbling into the area, he nearly fell but caught his balance just in time to avoid face planting into a tree. The small area with the cave-in, to Embry's surprise, was empty. He'd been expecting his friends, but instead it was just him and Leah. He hoped the others hadn't left without him, but then another question rose. What if his friends never showed up? Did they find Alec? Did something happen to them? Were they in trouble?

At such a late hour and with Leah being unconscious, Embry couldn't go out to look for his friends. So with a sigh, he decided to make himself comfortable. Firstly, he laid Leah down on the ground, stretching out her body and making sure she wasn't laying on any rocks. After that, he searched the nearby area and managed to pluck numerous large leaves from trees so that he could blanket himself and Leah as best as he could from the chill of the night. When he returned to the area a few minutes later, he saw that Leah was still unconscious and his shoulders sagged as he'd hoped that she would've woken up.

Predators where a big concern for Embry. He'd heard of a jaguar roaming the area, and hoped that he and Leah remained safe. They were as close to the cave as possible so at least if a jaguar did come up to them, it wouldn't be from behind. Embry laid the leaves over Leah and was happy there were enough to layer and would actually conceal them quite nicely. Before settling down next to Leah though, he brought the suitcase over and opened it, removing a small mango. He was hungry and knew he was in for a rough night. Zipping back up the suitcase, he let it sit next to him as he consumed the mango, skin and all. After he finished, he scooted under the leaves and snuggled up close to Leah so they could share body heat and hopefully keep from freezing. It wasn't as cold yet as it wasn't nighttime fully.

"Leah, hey, Lee-lee." He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm not angry at you anymore." He whispered. "I just want you to wake up and be okay." Embry closed his eyes and listened to Leah's steady breathing. "I talked with Jacob the other day. I think he'd be fine if he knew we were together." A short soft chuckle left his mouth and he blinked his eyes open, gazing at her slack face. "He'd think I was crazy though because you get angry so often. I mean really Lee-lee. Who gets angry as much as you? But you can also be sweet. But that sweetness will be reserved for me only. You just have to wake up okay? So I can tell you that I thought about it and I know you weren't embarrassed of us. You were truly just worried about my friends who are also your friends, silly."

The wind picked up and Embry shuddered before scooting even closer to Leah. He lifted her head up and wrapped his arm around her so she was resting her head against the crook in his arm. Embry knew his arm would be asleep in the morning, but at the time, he didn't care. He just wanted to stay warm and for Leah to wake up. Luckily for them, they weren't on the beach where the wind was surely to be worse, but just far enough away to not feel it as much.

Embry kept talking softly to Leah in the hopes that she would regain consciousness, but as the time passed, her condition never changed. That was just one problem. His other problem was wondering where his friends were and if he and Leah would survive the night unharmed.

~S.O.S~

Angela put a small leaf she had been using as a bookmark, on the page and closed the book. She was finding the book to be quite interesting. It was by some lady who was famous for creating sparkling vampires. This book was about aliens invading earth, taking over the human race and claiming their identities, all the while turning them into passive beings. She'd finished a quarter of the book but couldn't read anymore for there wasn't enough light and she was too far away from the campfire to utilize the light.

Everyone was still gathered around the campfire, apart from Lauren, and were laughing while telling stories. Angela didn't feel left out. She enjoyed solitude and was content with merely looking into the sky that was partly cloudy. A few stars were visible and she smiled as she recalled a few constellations. A sudden tap on her shoulder had her looking to her right and she found Lauren sitting down next to her, cheeks damp, eyes puffy and lips quivering.

"Are you alright?" Angela asked concernedly. She knew it was a stupid question, Lauren was obviously distraught, but Angela felt it was good starter question that could segue them into a conversation where she could possibly help Lauren feel better.

After sniffling for a few minutes, a sudden calm fell over Lauren. Her tears stopped and she looked into Angela's eyes and nodded once. "I'm fine." She nearly whispered. The calm broke and she began sobbing again.

Angela wrapped an arm around Lauren and patted her back soothingly. "It's because of Eric's death?" she asked gently.

Lauren nodded quickly and wiped away her tears furiously. "It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault at all." Angela replied in surprise. "It was the jaguar. It left him infected and he was bound to die one of these days because of lack of medical treatment." Angela stated matter-of-factly. "How can you blame yourself?"

Lauren suddenly laughed bitterly. "It _is_ my fault. He didn't die because of his infections." Lauren had been looking at the ground, suddenly looked up into Angela's glasses covered eyes. "The berries on that bush we buried him behind. Do you know what kind of berries those are?"

Angela glanced over at the bush that everyone always left alone. "I believe that's a yew bush right?" Angela asked confused.

"It is. What do you know about yew bushes?"

"I don't know. Birds eat them, but we can't because they're poisonous…wait." Sudden realization hit Angela hard in the back and she actually lurched from the information. "Did you feed Eric those berries?"

Lauren nodded curtly. "I didn't know they were poisonous. He just told me to give him some as I went to get some water from the waterfall. He never told me they weren't edible." Lauren chocked off a sob and clenched her fists at her side.

Angela continued to pat Lauren's back sympathetically. "Well, you can't blame yourself. You didn't really kill him. Eric knew those berries were poisonous. He did that to himself."

Lauren released her clenched fists before speaking again. "His death may have been accidental. But I've killed someone on purpose."

Angela dropped her hand from Lauren as though she'd been burned. "What are you talking about?" she asked austerely.

"Jessica. I killed Jessica." Remorse was evident in Lauren's tone and this confused Angela.

"Didn't Jessica fall off the cliff?"

"No. I pushed her." A lone tear escaped from Lauren's eye and rapidly drew a streak down her cheek. "I _pushed_ her!" she shrieked then stood abruptly and ran towards the edge of the cliff.

"Wait! Lauren!" Angela tried to chase after her, but she couldn't stand or walk and ended up flopping onto her stomach.

The shriek was loud enough to catch the others attention and Felix jogged over to where Angela lay and helped her back into a sitting position. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Angela replied earnestly as Emmett and Jasper appeared behind Felix. "Get Lauren! She ran off!" she told the others in a rush.

"I'm sure she'll be back." Rosalie told her, having also come over, followed by Bella and Alice.

"No, she won't." Angela replied sadly as everyone just stared at her.

"And why not?" Edward asked, having been the last to walk over.

"Because," Angela looked up at the group around her. "She killed Eric and Lauren."

~S.O.S~

For a long time, Lauren merely ran. Adrenaline pumped through her and she moved her legs as quickly as she could. Back before they were marooned on the island, she had been on the track team and would run a mile every morning before school, and miles after school. After getting stuck on the island and losing a lot of body weight and muscle, she found she couldn't run as much but with the adrenaline coursing through her, it was almost like she was back home and just doing her usual morning run.

Lauren ran and ran and ran. Jumping over things on the ground and barely able to see three feet in front of her because it was so dark. After a while though, she began to slow down and soon she had to stop completely to catch her breath. Her sides ached and her feet were cut from lots of things she'd stepped on whilst running.

After her breath had been caught, she continued walking, trying to put as much distance as she could with the bunker. She knew Angela would tell, and they were sure to go looking for her. But hopefully not now as it was late and they wouldn't be able to see where she went. For a moment, Lauren wondered how everyone else would feel about her when they found out that she had killed two of their peers. She'd definitely be loathed and ostracized. Would the even come looking for her? Or would they hope she died in the woods alone?

"What have I done?" she cried suddenly, then dropped to her knees and sobbed into her palms.

~S.O.S~

Embry was trying to keep a lookout for predators and his friends but sleep was beginning to overtake him. He was so tired. He sleepily blinked his eyes as his vision began to swim. Off in the distance, he thought he saw someone walking by. The person looked male from his tall stature and brawny build. They had short dark hair and looked disheveled with a torn shirt and shaggy looking pants. The person walked into the area and looked around. Embry almost opened his mouth to speak, but part of him wondered if he was dreaming. Suddenly the person froze for three seconds, then without any indication as to why, they took off running through the woods. Embry was confused by this dream and wondered what was going on, but soon he fell into a real slumber and a dreamless sleep occurred.

**A/N: First update of the new year! Whoop-woo! :D I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, I'm sure new questions have arisen, but fear not dear readers, next chapter will answer the cliffies I've left for you C: **


	40. Hematic

Chapter 39  
><em>Hematic- [hi-mat-ik] Of or pertaining to blood<em>

Lauren sniffled and wiped away the rest of her tears as she shakily stood to her feet. She leaned against a tree and tried to regulate her breathing for it kept coming in short gasps and her head was pounding from crying for so long. "Get a grip Lauren." She muttered to herself. "It's okay."

A rustling came from the bushes and a disheveled guy stumbled out carrying a torch. Immediately her guard went up and she prepared her legs to run again. Most of the adrenaline had left her body, but she still had a little left and would hopefully be able to out run the guy. From his build, he looked almost like Emmett, but a bit smaller.

After a moment of silence, her tensed shoulders relaxed. "Paul? Is that you?"

The boy looked into her eyes with a hard stare, and for three seconds the trickle of fear made its way down her spine and into her tired legs. But then his eyes softened and a slight upturn of his lips indicated a smile. "Long time no see, Lauren."

Lauren laughed shakily, the crying from earlier leaving her face red and puffy, voice slightly quivering. "It has been. How are you?"

A quite chuckle from Paul sent shivers up her spine. There was something about the situation that had her on edge. "I've been better. Why are you alone?"

Lauren looked down at her feet and shrugged. "I was taking a stroll. Why are you alone?"

Paul ignored the question and gestured behind him. "I have a camp that way. Since it's getting late, do you want to head back with me?"

Lauren sighed and nodded. She knew she couldn't go back to the bunker so following Paul didn't seem like such a bad idea. He lead her through the forest and after what seemed like forever, he led her to a small clearing where a campfire was lit with a pot on top of it filled with a brownish concoction. A small tent sat a few feet away and a suitcase was lying half open near the tent. "Wow, looks quaint. What's in the pot?"

Paul walked over to the small pot and carefully took it away from the fire. "Food." He replied after a while. "Last bit too." He sighed then glanced at her strangely. "Would you like some?"

Lauren shook her head. "No thanks. I'm not hungry at the moment. But where did you get the pot?"

"I found it on the beach with some other things from the ship." Paul held up one finger to her, indicating to her that she was to give him a minute, before he slipped into the tent and moved some things out to make room for her. "I'm sure you're tired. You can sleep in there for the night if you want."

His kindness tore at her heart and she thought of Jessica and Eric. "Thanks." She murmured before crawling inside and falling asleep on her side.

~S.O.S~

"Is that…what I think it is?" Quil asked, covering his mouth and feeling the berries make their way back up his throat. Barely a second later, he turned his head and upchucked the numerous berries he'd just recently swallowed. "I can't…I can't even…" he hurled again and stumbled away from Jacob who was throwing what had landed on top of him, in the other direction.

"I don't even…" Jacob turned on his side and retched, clutching his stomach in pain. "How is that even possible?"

Quil wiped his mouth and without turning to Jacob, he extended his hand backwards and helped Jacob to his feet. "You okay?" Quil asked once Jacob was on his feet.

"It's Tyler."

Quil shook his head. "No, that _was _Tyler."

Jacob felt his stomach turn. "It's just his head now."

A few feet away, Tyler's head lay on the ground. His face dirty and his hair unkempt. But what was really startling was his facial expression which was frozen in what looked like a scream.

"We need to get out of here." Quil stated, already gathering distance between himself and the head of their peer.

Jacob took one last look at the head before agreeing with Quil and racing to catch up with him. "We need to meet up with Embry and Leah."

"Okay." Quil paused for a moment before glancing up at Jacob solemnly. "Do you think we should tell the others—"

"No! We can't tell them about Tyler." Jacob gagged before continuing. "It'll just induce a panic and we don't know what did that to him."

They continued walking as the sun had already set and just barely made it to the rendezvous point. It took them a while, and they stumbled often, but once they reached the clearing, Jacob was confused at first because he thought the clearing to be empty.

"Where is Embry and Leah?" Quil asked confused.

"Maybe they headed back without us?" Jacob suggested. "I don't know. But for now, let's just sleep until the sun is up. We'll figure things out in the morning."

Quil plopped down on the ground and Jacob laid down beside him. "Alright, fine with me." he responded, falling asleep almost instantly.

~S.O.S~

With the sunlight filtering in through the trees, Lauren blinked her eyes sleepily and yawned. She felt in need of a stretch, and tried to lift her arms to comply to her body's wishes but was surprised when her movement was restricted. Her drowsy eyes suddenly snapped to attention when she realized she was no longer in the tent, but outside near the campfire. Upon further inspection she found that she her arms were tied behind her back with a rough piece of vine that was beginning to dig into her skin from her struggles. Her legs were also bound together and she was sitting with her back to a tree, a final thick vine trapping her to the tree around her waist.

"What's going on?" she cried out. The campfire had burned out through the night and the morning air was cool. "Paul! Paul where are you?" she screamed, fear creeping up on her shoulders.

A shuffling in the tent sounded before Paul crawled out and looked into Lauren's anxious eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked calmly.

"Help! Someone tied me to a tree!"

Paul chuckled lightly and stood up after leaving the tent. "Yes, I can see that."

"It's not funny!" Lauren shrieked. "Help me!"

Paul walked over to where Lauren sat and squatted down so that he was eye level with her. "I am not going to untie you when it took me twenty minutes to get the knots right."

"_You_ tied me up?" Lauren stopped struggling, giving her screaming red wrists a break. "But _why_?"

A sigh escaped from Paul's thin lips. "It's a long story." Paul sighed. "But it's not like you're going anywhere."

_Paul swam to the shore with Tyler and his teacher Mr. Banner beside him. When they finally reached the beach, breaths were hard to catch. "Where are we?" Tyler asked wearily. "Did we make it to the Bahamas?"_

"_I don't think so Tyler." Mr. Banner replied as he surveyed their surroundings. The beach was filled with beautiful untouched white sand and just a few feet away rested the forest outlined with large palm trees. "I don't think this island is inhibited. I was paying attention to our coordinates and this island wasn't on the map."_

_Tyler frowned. "What does that mean?"_

_Mr. Banner sighed. "We're all alone on this island."_

_It took them a while, but eventually they gathered their bearings and for the first night, they slept on the beach. The next morning Mr. Banner took charge and had the two boys scour the island for their classmates. He himself would've help searched with the boys, but he'd hurt his back and moving for extended periods of time brought him tremendous pain. So Tyler and Paul walked along the beach for a while but didn't see hide nor hair of any of their classmates. But they did find a few suitcases filled with luggage that they brought back to Mr. Banner._

"_Alright, let's see what we have." Mr. Banner unzipped one of the five suitcases they found and was surprised to see that it was his own suitcase. A week's worth of clothes, a couple novels and his wallet was inside. "What good fortune." He marveled before grabbing another suitcase along with Tyler and Paul. Inside of all three of their suitcases were female clothes and accessories. From the name tags, one belonged to Angela, another belonged to Katie and the last belonged to Leah. _

_Paul kicked Leah's suitcase and grabbed the last one. "There's nothing in their bags that can help us." He griped as he wrenched open the last suitcase. What was inside surprised everyone. "Who on the boat needed Vicodin?" _

"_What's that?" Tyler asked confused._

"_A very strong pain killer." Mr. Banner answered. "But it can be addicting, and often time causes crazy side effects." Mr. Banner took the large prescription bottle from Paul's hand and examined it more carefully. "This doesn't say who it's prescribed to. Weird. What else is in this suitcase?"Mr. Banner motioned for Paul to continue his rifling and along with a second bottle of Vicodin, they found sleeping pills, an old pocket knife, small portable pot, a tent, a bag of peanuts and a water bottle. "Well this we can work with." Mr. Banner grabbed the peanuts and opened the bag. He popped a few in his mouth and passed the bag to Tyler who mirrored his motions. But when the bag reached Paul, the boy shook his head angrily. _

"_What's wrong?" Tyler asked before offering the bag to Paul again. Paul responded by knocking the bag from Tyler's hand. The small nuts flew out of the bag and landed in the sand. "Hey! What was that for?"_

"_I'm allergic to nuts." Paul snapped._

"_Well geez, you didn't have to ruin it for us!" Tyler picked up the now half-filled bag and passed it back to Mr. Banner who was glaring at Paul._

"_Listen Paul, I understand your frustrations at being stuck on this island right now, but it won't make do to start fights. There are police officers searching for us right now, I'm sure and they'll find us and give you an allergen free meal. Right now we just need to focus on staying safe and maybe finding your other classmates. But they may or may not be on this island." Mr. Banner sighed and popped more peanuts into his mouth. "I believe they're safe though. Wherever they are…" his voice trailed off and only the sound of crunching peanuts reigned for a moment._

_While the pair ate the nuts, Paul opened the water bottle and began chugging the water. _

"_Hey! Save some for us!" Tyler cried, reaching out and snatching the bottle from Paul. "You drank half of it!"_

_Paul shrugged and Mr. Banner rolled his eyes. "Don't worry Tyler, the rescue team is on their way, I'm sure, and we'll be rescued hopefully by nightfall."_

_Tyler smiled at this and polished off the rest of the nuts. _

_Paul listened to his stomach growl then stood up, dusting the back of his pants off. As sand fell to the ground, Mr. Banner and Tyler looked up at the short haired teen. "Where are you going?" asked their teacher. _

"_To look for other food I can maybe eat."_

"_Good idea." Mr. Banner approved. "Tyler, go with him."_

_Tyler immediately hopped to his feet and slung an arm around Paul. "Cool with me! This island is nice." _

_Paul shrugged off Tyler's hand and continued walking towards the trees._

_That day he and Tyler found coconuts. But it took them all day to open and when they finally drank the milk, it caused Paul's tongue to swell in size and nearly kill him. As did the berries they found the following day. When they discovered mangoes, Paul's face erupted in hives and the watermelon gave him diarrhea. After a few days, Paul was looking more gauntly than the teacher and Tyler. _

"_You said we'd be rescued by now." Paul snapped when Tyler made an offhand comment about how hungry he was. "I'm starving and everything on this island makes me sick!"_

_Mr. Banner was leaning against a tree popping raspberries in his mouth. "I'm sure we'll be rescued soon—"_

"_YOU SAID THAT DAYS AGO!" he screamed vehemently. "Here I am, starving to death while you and that idiot stuff your faces with fruit!"_

_Tyler looked offended at the insult and pouted comically. "It's not our fault that everything you eat makes you sick." Tyler continued to eat the watermelon he'd found earlier that day. In Paul's rage, he picked the second watermelon that was still whole, and threw it at the other's face. The giant fruit exploded upon impact and sent the teen flying backwards into the sand. Luckily Tyler had been sitting down so it wasn't that bad of a fall, but the watermelon messily stained the area and Tyler was knocked out cold. Mr. Banner gaped in shock at Paul before blanching and dropping the rest of his berries._

"_Paul…I think you need to calm down…"_

_Paul snarled at Mr. Banner who stopped talking and began to tremble. "Every day we waited. You _told_ us we would be rescued before nightfall. Every. Day. We're still here and it's been nearly two weeks! I haven't been able to keep anything in my stomach and look at me!" Paul lifted up his scrawny arms and motioned to his body. "I've lost half of my body weight!" he shrieked before dropping to his knees. "Every fruit we've found either gives me hives or I can't breath or diarrhea or WORSE!" Paul clenched and unclenched his fists while his teacher continued to stare at him in silence. "I tried to fish." He told his teacher with a sarcastic smirk. "But the little buggers are too fast and every day I get slower…weaker." Paul sighed. "I don't think we're going to be rescued any time soon." He admitted angrily. "And you—" Paul poked Mr. Banner in his chest. "You didn't do anything while I was starving. You just sit and eat comfortably…waiting for the rescue that will never come. Taking the pills for your back." Mr. Banners eyes widened at Pauls words. "Yeah, I noticed you slipping a pill here and there. Just like I know you popped a sleeping pill before I started my rant." Paul smile at Mr. Banner who's breath was becoming shallow. "You'll be asleep within minutes and I told myself, I wanted you to know before you died, what was going to happen to you."_

_Mr. Banner finally seemed to find his voice. But it was small. "Died?"_

_Paul nodded solemnly. "Mr. Banner, you've been enjoying yourself these last few days. For a teacher who has been shipwrecked and lost all his students, that's kind of strange. You sit around here all day eating the fruit we bring to you. A few days ago, when I was puking up the bananas we found, I wondered why that was. How could you be so care free about everything. Then I thought about the pills we found and it all made sense. You were taking them to not only numb the pain, but somehow you were getting a buzz from them. You are a science teacher after all so I'm sure you know how these things work. You were always so happy. Telling us that we'd be saved. Well, I'm tired of waiting for something that isn't going to happen, and I'm tired of starving." Paul took out the pocket knife they'd found in the suitcase days ago while Mr. Banner struggled to keep his drooping eyelids open. "Did you know my father is a butcher?" Paul asked while twiddling the pocketknife between his fingers. "He taught me everything about the business so that when I inherit it in a few years, I'll know what to do. I know how to skin animals, clean and prepare them to be cooked." Mr. Banner's eyes began to close and Paul asked him one last question. "So humans can't be much different right?"_

_The next morning Paul patted his empty stomach and leaned against a tree. It had taken him hours to clean up the mess he'd made with Mr. Banners body, and he ended up wasting most of the 'meat' when he was using the pocketknife. He threw what he couldn't use into the ocean, and cleaned up with the salty water afterward before throwing the meat into the pot with some of the salt water so he could boil it. Lighting the fire seemed to be the hardest thing and once he completed this task, Tyler woke up and smelled the food cooking. _

"_Oh what are you cooking?" the sleepy teen asked as he wiped sleep from his eyes. "Oh! You threw a watermelon at me! What the heck, man!"_

"_You'll get over it and it's nothing for you." Paul snapped while looking into the pot with a grim smile. _

_Tyler rolled his eyes before looking inside with a frown. "It looks gross. Where did you find it?"_

"_Shut up Tyler." Paul growled, using the pocketknife to poke at the teens chest._

"_Hey! Watch it!" Tyler pushed away Paul's hand and frowned when he noticed their teacher wasn't in the area. "Did Mr. B leave to take a leak?"_

"_No, he went swimming." Paul responded quietly._

_Tyler looked out into the ocean and saw a shark's fin disappearing into the water. "Oh my gosh! Paul! Did you see that?" Tyler's dark eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets. "I don't see Mr. B! The shark! It must've…" Tyler shuddered at the thought and his eyes glazed over. "The shark killed Mr. B!"_

_Paul repressed the shrug. He feigned surprise and returned back to his food. Once he deemed it cooked, he carefully took the pot off the fire and stirred the watery meat with his pocketknife. _

"_Ew, that stuff smells gross." Tyler grumbled, still glancing out at the sea cautiously._

"_Whatever." Paul grunted before stabbing at a piece of meat and popping it into his mouth. It burned his tongue, and tasted like nothing he'd ever eaten before, but it wasn't completely horrendous, so he managed to eat most of it and was satisfied when his stomach ached with fullness. He decided to save the rest for later, and left the pot next to the fire that would eventually burn itself out._

"_What are we going to do with Mr. B dead?" Tyler asked a couple hours after Paul had feasted._

_Paul shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we can look for our other classmates again. I don't really care."_

_Tyler sighed. "I really thought we'd be home by now. I'm going to go get more fruit."_

"_You do that." Paul grumbled, closing his eyes and resting his head against the tree behind him._

_When Tyler returned over an hour later, he wasn't alone, much to Paul's surprise. _

"_I found Katie! She was wandering around the woods, lost!" Tyler squealed when he approached Paul. _

_Paul barely bat an eye. "Didn't you drown or something?" he asked heartlessly._

_Katie looked worse than he when it came to appearance. Her shirt was torn all over and her shorts were a color he'd never seen before but looked like they were originally white. She didn't have shoes, her hair was everywhere and a long jagged cut made its way down her left arm._

"_I almost drowned." She told him, eyes shifting around the area nervously when they glanced at the water. "I don't know how to swim." She admitted. "And I got hit with something. I don't know. Everything is a blur." A tear sprang to her eye and she wiped it away quickly. But I guess I'm a floater because when I opened my eyes, I was floating on the water and looking up at the stars. I didn't know how I was floating so I tried not to move and then I made it here." She gestured to the island. "I looked for everyone but I didn't find anyone until yesterday…" her voice trailed off and she burst into full blown crocodile tears and sobs. "My boyfriend…" she sobbed harder. "I saw his body. He's d-d-d-dead!" _

_Tyler wrapped his arms around her. "Shh." He whispered. "She told me earlier that she found Austin's body broken at the bottom of a cliff." Tyler deflated as he spoke and no longer seemed excited about finding a classmate. "This isn't fun anymore man. We're…dying."_

"_This was never fun to begin with!" Paul snapped. "Just go find some fruit and leave me alone." Tyler sighed but took Katie's hand and left Paul to stew in his emotions._

_The next day Paul finished eating Mr. Banner's remains and looked inside the empty pot angrily. He wouldn't starve again. He told himself he was not going through that again. But who was he going to eat next? He looked at his two peers who were sleeping blissfully a couple feet away. Tyler annoyed him, but Katie was weaker. He could easily overtake her. Shaking his head clear, he knew what he had to do._

_The day went by and Paul left the two to their own devices on the beach while he went exploring in the forest to kill time. The only good thing about the island so far was there was a small river that cut through it and they had an endless supply of water from their spot on the beach. One time Tyler found a mango from the river and it cheered him up for the whole day. Today, Paul took a different route and ended up in a clearing with a small pond. He was surprised to find a large black cat resting and steered clear of the animal. He wasn't afraid because he recognized it to be a jaguar and remembered that they were more scared of humans than vice versa. The animal awoke when he passed by and quickly trotted away when it spotted him. A miniature version of the cat followed behind and Paul smirked. A mother and her young._

_"ARE WE GOING TO DIE?" Someone screamed, startling Paul. The teen looked across the land and found Felix, Jacob and Mike standing on the opposite side. Jacob responded to Mike's scream but Paul couldn't tell what he said because he was too far away._

_"IS IT GOING TO KILL US MAN?" Mike screamed in fear again._

_Paul hid behind a tree as he watched the trio talking. He'd given up hope that any of his other classmates had survived, and was surprised to find he was relieved that they weren't the only ones on the island. But a notch of fear kicked in when he thought about his food source and how they would react if they knew about his new diet. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice when Felix and Jacob disappeared. He saw Mike cleaning his pants and was about to head back to the beach when Katie came up behind him and gasped. _

"_Is that Mike? Are we not alone?" _

_Paul whirled around and covered her mouth. "Shut up or he'll hear you!" he whispered angrily._

_Katie pushed him away and stepped closer to the clearing. "Hey Mi—"_

_Paul recovered her mouth and threw her to the ground. "Shut up I said!" he brought his fist down across her head and knocked her out similar to Tyler and the watermelon. "Great. Now I have to carry her back to the beach." He growled._

"_Is someone there?" Mike called from across the pond._

"_I'll be back for you later." Paul whispered, then slid her body under a bush and took off running when Mike came too close to the area he was in. _

"_Wait!" Mike called when he saw the flash Paul running by. But Paul didn't stop and continued to run until his body screamed that he stop, and his breathing came in short gasps. He finally slowed to a stop and hid behind a tree when he saw Mike racing forward. What surprised him is when Mike slipped into the ground. He crept from behind the tree and found the hidden hole in the ground where the other had fallen. _

"_Just my luck." Paul smiled down at Mike who was unconscious before returning to Katie. By now Jacob and Felix had returned and were calling out for Mike. Paul didn't stick around to see if they would find their friend, he picked up Katie and headed for the beach._

_Before reaching the beach, Paul hid Katie once more so that he could take care of Tyler who was walking along the beach. Earlier that day, Paul had cleaned out the pot. Taking a couple sleeping pills, he crushed them in the pot and took some bananas and mashed them inside along with a few berries, integrating them with the pills. When Tyler spotted Paul, he joined him on the beach._

"_Hey." Tyler greeted._

"_I'm sorry." Paul apologized, looking down at the pot. "I know I've been pretty rough on you these last few days, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry."_

_Tyler was pleasantly surprised by Paul's apology. "It's okay man. I understand."_

_Paul smiled and offered Tyler the mashed bananas. "I made you this as a peace offering."_

_Tyler laughed and stuck his hand in the pot, scooping out some of the berry-banana mush. He ate it happily and looked around. "You know where Katie is? I want to share some of this with her."_

"_Oh, don't bother. I saw her eating some mangoes and taking a walk."_

"_Oh, well okay." Tyler continued to eat and Paul watched happily. When Tyler had finished, Paul reclaimed the pot, and washed it out in the ocean. When he returned to where Tyler was sitting, he found the boy yawning. _

"_Before you go to sleep, can you start a fire?" Paul asked._

"_Sure man." Tyler began lighting the fire with droopy eyes._

_While Tyler did this, Paul headed to where he hid Katie and dragged her body out to the fire Tyler had started. Tyler himself had fallen asleep a couple feet away from the fire. "Thanks Tyler." Paul grunted, dragging Katie past the fire and towards the ocean. Since he'd had prior experience, he knew how to skin her quickly and went about harvesting as much meat from her as he could. He managed to get himself more than with Mr. Banner and threw her remains into the ocean much like he had with his teacher. Filling the small pot with water, he washed the blood off his hands before bringing the pot to the fire and cooking the meat. After eating his fill, he fell asleep._

"_Ew, I see you cooked more of that nasty stuff." Tyler noted the next morning._

"_Shut up Ty." Paul yawned and looked at the pot that would feed him for the rest of the day. He was regaining his strength back slowly and he was happy to no longer be starving. But with the lack of a refrigerator he had to eat what he could as soon as it was cooked and he didn't want to let the meat sit out even though other parts of him wanted to ration the food because soon he would be out._

"_Is it good?" Tyler asked when his stomach growled. "I'm hungry."_

"_It's disgusting but it's all that I can eat. Go find your fruit." Paul told him. _

"_I wonder where Katie went." Tyler suddenly said, looking around confused._

"_She probably went to visit the body of her dead boyfriend. Let's just leave her be for now." Paul told Tyler who nodded in agreement._

_That day Paul ate his fill and sighed when he'd eaten all that was in the pot._

_For the next few days, he resisted the urge to kill Tyler because he didn't want to be alone, and Tyler was the last human he had contact with. He'd gone back for Mike the day before but found the hole completely filled and a silly grave on top of it which indicated the death of his peer. Part of him contemplated digging out the boy, but by now the meat had rotted. With Katie's absence brought Tyler's suspicion and he often asked if Paul knew of her whereabouts. Paul always had an excuse or said he just didn't know and ignored Tyler for the most part while he worked on staying alive. With pure luck, Paul had been able to kill a couple birds which kept him from starving, but his body was starting to crave more human meat. So the day finally came when he decided to kill Tyler. _

_Paul spent that day whittling a spear and was happy with the final product. After Tyler was gone, he'd need another source of food and he wanted to be prepared. He was hoping to find his other classmates and get them separated so that he could pick them off one by one._

_A sudden scream had Paul jumping to his feet and running through the forest towards his peer. He found Tyler backed up against a tree, holding a small jaguar cub. The mother of said cub was snarling at him a couple feet away._

"_Help!" Tyler screamed. "Paul! Help!"_

_Paul raised the spear and aimed it at the jaguar who choose that time to strike and attack Tyler. The cub flew free from Tyler's hand but the jaguar continued to attack him. Tyler's screams turned into gurgles and soon he was silent. Paul finally brought the spear down upon the jaguars' head and heard a sickening crunch as the branch broke through the skull and erupted from the other side of the creature's mouth. The large cat immediately fell over with Tyler's blood leaking from its jaw. Paul watched the smaller cub race into the woods and looked down at Tyler whose head was completely ripped from his body and his expression was forever frozen in a scream. In a fit of rage, Paul picked up Tyler's head and hurled it into the woods. His body had been too badly ravaged to search for parts, to he left it where it was but grabbed the jaguar and towed it back to the beach. He managed to feast from the cat for a while, and even snagged it's cub a couple days later. By this time, he'd moved from the beach and made a small camp in a clearing using the tent they had never bothered to use. He brought one of the suitcases filled with Mr. Banners, things and the pills along with him. The next day he was craving human again and went walking through the woods where he ran into Lauren. But this time he had a plan. He wasn't going to eat all of her right away. Instead he was going to keep her drugged, and take from her when he was hungry. This way his food wouldn't rot. So when she was asleep, he went into the woods and found some vines that were sturdy enough to keep her tied to a tree. _

"And here we are." He finished simply.

Lauren didn't know if Paul was being serious or if this was some elaborate plan to scare her. But when he pulled out his pocketknife, she was immediately on edge. Maybe it was punishment for killing Jessica, she thought sadly. "Please don't hurt me." she whispered.

Paul laughed and stood up. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just eat you." He walked over to the suitcase and picked up the bottle water he'd refilled the day before, along with the bottle of Vicodin. Uncapping the pill bottle, he popped a couple into his hand and closed it, tossing it back into the suitcase. "Here, open your mouth and take these. It'll take the pain away when I'm cutting off your hand."

Lauren paled at the thought and closed her mouth.

Another laugh escaped Paul. "It's not skin off my nose whether you comply or not. But I'm trying to be nice. If you take these, it won't hurt."

Lauren began to cry as she opened her mouth and accepted the pills which were washed down her throat with the warm water.

"They should take effect soon." Paul told her giddily. "Which is great because I'm all out of the cub soup. Finished it this morning for breakfast."

Lauren looked away from Paul and down at the ground. "She knew no one would find her out here, and even if they did, would they even help or think she got just what she deserved? After all, she did kill another. But eating someone else…sinking to cannibalism seemed to be on another scale of horrible things and she hoped that just this once, the wrong that she did wasn't worse than Paul's wrong.

"How do you feel?" Paul asked intensely.

"Normal." Lauren barely spoke. It wasn't a complete lie, but she knew it would prolong the inevitable. If she were being honest, she would've told him that she was beginning to feel lightheaded and tingly.

Paul looked her up and down before nodding to himself. "Whatever. I'll give it an hour, but then…" he made a sawing motion with his pocketknife and laughed creepily once more.

**A/N: I've been watching too many creepy movies, I know. But I answered a few forgotten questions that I put in the beginning, like who was that person that Mike saw running through the forest, and what happened to Tyler and so forth. Anywho, another chappie is underway! And yes, I agree, Paul needs help o.O Finished this at nearly 2am…so sorry as usual for any excess errors XD**


	41. Abscond

Chapter 40  
><em>Abscond- [ab-skond] To depart in a sudden and secret manner, especially to avoid capture<em>

Bella stood at the edge of the hill, looking off into the distance. Her arms were crossed in worry, and the wind had picked up, whipping at her dirt encrusted clothes and hair. She repeatedly moved the hair out of the way of her eyes and continued staring into the woods where she hoped Jacob and the others would come striding out with fruit and Alec amongst them. Behind her, back at the bunker, the others were conversing in hushed tones.

"I still can't believe she killed Jessica." Angela murmured. "I don't even know the full story. But I hope it was an accident."

Rosalie placed her hands on her hips and began pacing. "I don't care if she did it on purpose or whether it was accidental. She killed two people! I don't want her back here."

Emmett nodded in agreement. "I agree. I wouldn't feel safe with her in the same area as us. She could 'accidentally' kill someone else."

"Quite frankly, I never cared for her before, and now I really don't. That girl is a thorn in our sides. I kinda hope she doesn't return." Felix grunted, holding Angela close. "Emmett and Rosalie are right. It's not safe. If she returns, we'll have to isolate her, keep her away from everyone and sleep with one eye open."

Rosalie sighed and stood next to Emmett. "This is so frustrating. I was just starting to get used to being here. Now it's like that first day. I just want to go home."

"What should we do?" Angela asked, looking up at Rosalie.

The teen looked at everyone who was in fact looking to her for an answer. "Well, as soon as the others get back," Rosalie paused and looked around sadly. "We move. We can't stay here where we know she can find us. We'll have to go to another part of the island far away."

This answer surprised some, but no one objected.

"So…we should pack?" Jasper spoke quietly from his spot next to Alice who was napping in his lap.

"Only what's necessary. Like the food. The other stuff we'll have to carry since there aren't that many suitcases." Rosalie looked at the makeshift tent area and the fruit boxes. "Although, maybe we can keep the makeshiftbokes if we reinforce them with some of the clothes to make sure the fruit won't spill out."

"That could work." Felix said, glancing at the handmade boxes a few feet away. "They're going to be heavy to carry. If we're going to be walking for long periods, we'll have to take turns."

Rosalie clapped her hands together. "Okay, let's get everything situated. By the time the others come back, I want us to be ready to move out."

Edward, silent through the conversation, watched everyone moving around, preparing to leave. While everyone was busy, he walked over to where Bella was standing, arms still crossed. "Hey." He tapped her on her shoulder. She glanced at him briefly before shifting her attention back to the woods.

"Hey." She replied.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Bella shook her head and looked down at her feet. "No. But I'll manage."

"Did you hear what was going on?"

"No."

"We're moving."

Bella looked up wide-eyed. "What? No! We can't leave—"

Edward put a finger to her lips to shush her. "We aren't leaving until they get back." He told her. "Don't worry." He removed his finger and Bella sighed in relief.

"Good." She lifted her hand to wipe away a tear and soon found herself in a tight embrace. Edward wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her deeply. She was so shaken up from the false alarm, she allowed him to hug her and even returned it. It was simply a comforting hug meant to calm her down. But Edward didn't let it stop there. He tilted up her chin and leaned forward to kiss her.

"Ow… my head." Leah sat up and the world began to spin causing her to fall back down on the hard ground. She massaged her temples and blinked her eyes open. "What's going on?" she murmured just loud enough that Embry who was asleep beside her woke up.

"Lee-lee?" he spoke groggily.

Leah's scream soon pierced the air and she shoved him away from her. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?" Looking around for something to hit the boy with, her anger soon turned to extreme confusion. "Why am I outside?"

"Shut up over there." Quil griped. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"

Leah went wide eyed and began to crawl backwards away from the boys. "What's going on?" he momentary fear lead way back to anger. "WHAT IS GOING ON? EXPLAIN YOURSELVES RIGHT NOW! WHY AM I OUTSIDE?"

Embry recovered from being pushed and stood up slowly, backing away from Leah and joining Jacob and Quil. "Guys, I think something is wrong with Leah."

"You don't say?" Quil responded sarcastically. "What's wrong with her?"

"Leah," Embry held up his hands in defense and walked back towards her. "Why are you freaking out?"

Leah glanced at all the boys and glowered. "Don't ask me stupid questions! You obviously kidnapped me in some ludicrous prank!" Leah huffed and crossed her arms. "You boys are idiots." She began to calm down and picked up a large stick. "I am going to beat the pranks right out of your if you don't take me home this instant!"

Quil gapped at Leah while Jacob and Embry exchanged glances. "Leah," Embry began slowly, "we didn't take you from your house…don't you know where you are?"

Embry's calm tone confused Leah. "What? Are you pulling a fast one on me?"

"Of course not Lee-lee."

"Don't call me that!" She snapped and dropped the stick, collapsing to the ground. "Ow, my head."

As soon as she collapsed, Embry her side. "Leah!" he helped her back to her feet before he was roughly shoved away.

"Don't touch me." she mumbled, speech slurring. "I don't feel so good. Did y'all drug me too or something?" she stumbled and barely managed to catch her balance.

"Did something happen to her?" Jacob asked Embry who was still hovering close to Leah.

"She hit her head yesterday." Embry told them. "Maybe she has a concussion or something."

"And amnesia from the looks of it." Quil added.

"Leah, what's the last thing you remember?" Embry asked softly.

The girl in question looked up at Embry with glazed eyes. "Our permission slips are due next week." She told him bemused. "I…don't feel…" Leah fell into Embry's waiting arms and seemed to pass out momentarily before coming to a few seconds later. "Something is wrong with me." she looked up into his sympathetic eyes and tried to push him away again, but found that her energy had been sapped.

"Leah, I think you have a concussion." He told her while holding her gently. "We already went on the field trip…well, sorta. We crashed our boat and some of us are stuck on this island. Do you remember anything now?"

Leah's eyes widened at Embry's story. "You're lying." She whispered. But something about his tone made her question it. Was he in fact lying? Or…the scary option—was he telling her the truth?

Embry pointed to her clothes. "Look at what you're wearing."

Leah looked down at her tattered clothes before inspecting the others. The dirt on her skin looked like it'd been there for a long time. "Why can't I remember anything?" she asked as reality sank in.

"You hit your head and I guess you got amnesia from it."

"I believe you. But that doesn't give you permission to touch me this much!" she shrugged off his arms and tried to walk away. Her vision swam but she ignored it, closing her eyes briefly and taking care to watch where she stepped. "Are we the only ones who survived? Or are there others?"

"There are others." Embry motioned for her to follow them and soon they began their trek back to the bunker. It didn't take too long but when they did arrive at the bottom of the hill, Jacob was in for quite a surprise. At the very top of the hill stood Bella and Edward. The latter was tilting up her chin and leaning down to kiss her. Jacob felt jealousy began to rage within him as he stood frozen on the ground below. Just as he was about to open his mouth and scream at the boy, Bella covered her mouth and Edward ended up kissing her hand.

"Please. Don't." she took a step back out of embrace before walking to help the others pack up.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose when movement caused him to look down the hill. He saw the group had returned and Jacob was glaring at him angrily. Flipping Jacob the bird, he stormed away.

"Well that was weird." Quil spoke before ascending the ladder. Jacob followed behind Quil with Leah behind him and Embry bringing up the rear.

When they made it to the bunker, they found it in an organized chaos. Everyone was running around gathering things and putting them either in the fruit box or the remaining suitcase.

"But I really want to keep my books." Angela held a few books in her hands and Felix was leaning down trying to pry them from her hand.

"There's no way to carry all of them." He told her with pursed lips.

"Just slip them in with the fruit."

"They're dead weight."

For this Angela couldn't help but to agree. "Okay, what if I only take three?"

"Felix looked down at the books. "Alright. Pick the three you want and make sure to keep track of them."

Angela smiled in delight before kissing his cheek sweetly. "Thank you."

"You'll be the death of me." he joked, caressing the side of her face before joining the others with packing everything.

Jacob walked over to Angela and asked her what was going on. She explained quickly and during her explanation, Bella spotted Jacob and leaped into his open arms.

"I'm so happy to see you." She spoke into his chest. "I'm happy you're okay."

"I promised I'd come back remember? I always keep my promises."

Bella merely smiled before leading him away to help with packing. Within the hour they had everything they were going to take with them and what was left over was scattered in a chaotic mess. They'd all drunk deeply from the waterfall and everyone was carrying something. Jacob, Edward and Emmett were carrying the boxes of fruit. They'd managed to tie some clothes into the handmade box, along with the help of vines so the huge contraptions were strapped to their backs. Rosalie carried the lone suitcase since they'd left the other one in the forest. Alice, Bella Quil and Jasper carried as many of the clothes as they could so they could possibly reuse them later while Felix carried Angela and Embry half carried Leah.

Once everyone was situated and climbed down the vine ladder, they began their trek across the island, putting as much distance with the bunker and hopefully Lauren.

Lauren opened her eyes as the sun filtered in through the trees. She looked down and noticed she was still tied to the tree. Not that she expected anything different. Shifting against the tree she scouted the area for Paul and was surprised to find the he was nowhere in sight. Thinking that now was her chance, Lauren looked around for something to help free her from the tree. She spotted the answer to problem a couple feet away. Paul's pocket knife rested on the ground in front of her. She deduced he'd accidentally dropped it. Stretching out her body, she reached one of her legs out and just barely touched it. With a much struggling, she finally managed to get the little knife to her side and when she reached out her right arm, she was in for a big surprise that had her gasping in horror. Her right hand which she used to write with, eat, play sports and do her hair—was missing!

**A/N: To **_Pangie26_**, the cannibalism was based off the movie wrong turn…aside from that, I don't know what movie you're talking about. This story was completely made up without the guidelines of other stuff c: That's why there's so many plot twists :D Two updates this month! Yay! :D**


	42. Yare

Chapter 41  
><em>Yare- [yahr] Quick; agile; lively.<em>

"How long have we been walking?" Bella asked with a sigh. While she was used to walking for long periods of time, it tired her to have to carry the clothes and she wasn't very strong before being marooned on the island. But now with her waning strength, it was even worse. They had set off, sticking to the beach, and walked for most of the day having taken only one break a couple hours ago. If they were to estimate with the sun, they'd guess that it was around five or six o'clock. The sun was on its way to setting and they soon the group would be plunged into darkness.

Someone grunted. "Who knows." Emmett muttered.

Earlier they'd passed their previous beach site that had been destroyed by the storm. Angela had shuttered and leaned in close to Felix who was walking like a trooper, carrying the heaviest load of them all—Angela. He never once complained, but tended to lag behind everyone. Rosalie, Emmett and Jacob walked the fastest, leading the group while Bella, Alice, Jasper, Quil and Leah brought up the middle leaving Edward, Embry, Felix and Angela to take care of the rear.

"How much farther are we going to walk today?" Quil asked Rosalie, the designated leader of the trek. "We've been walking all day and we're hungry and tired."

Rosalie snorted. "Quit you're complaining. I want to put as much distance as I can from that nutcase. Who is to say that she isn't following us right now?"

This caused an unease to flow through the group and they walked in silence for a while longer. But soon nature forced them to seek shelter for the night as light was diminishing. They retreated to the edge of the forest where the wind that had picked up, wasn't as fierce. Once they'd settled on a spot, the boys set down the boxes, Felix laid Angela up against a tree and the people carrying clothes dropped them in a pile near the boxes. Rosalie set the suitcase next to the boxes, the retrieved a watermelon while the boys worked on trying to get a fire started. They'd gotten pretty good at making fires and soon everyone was warming by the flames, and eating pieces of the watermelon.

"Are we going to keep walking again tomorrow or are we staying here?" Angela asked Rosalie. "Felix's back is sore and I think more walking like that with me on it won't help."

Rosalie sighed and looked around. "This area isn't good. It's too open. We'll walk into the forest and try to find a clearing or something. I want our biggest problem to be the animals and not Lauren." Rosalie paused and took a huge bite of her watermelon. "Maybe an hour or two tops tomorrow, we'll walk. By the way everyone, good job."

While around the fire, the group branched off into pairs or by themselves, but took some of the clothes to layer the ground where they slept so they wouldn't be sleeping directly on the ground. Bella and Jacob made an area and cozied up next to the fire. Jacob lied on the ground closest to the fire with his back to it and curled up into his chest was Bella who was fiddling with his fingers. "Do you think Lauren will come for us?" she asked softly.

"No. I think she ran because she wanted to get away from us." Jacob answered back just as soft. They kept their conversation hushed similar to the other pairs.

"Jacob, can I tell you something?"

"Of course." He responded, stroking the side of his cheek. "You can tell me anything."

"I don't think we're going to be rescued."

Jacob squeezed her closer and nuzzled into her albeit scraggly hair. "Don't talk like that." he gently chastised. "Don't give up hope…" his voice trailed off as he realized he shared the same negative belief that they weren't going to be found but live out the rest of their days on the island.

~S.O.S~

Lauren sobbed through the gag that was placed over her mouth. The pain of losing her hand was excruciating because the drugs were wearing off. Paul had returned after she'd noticed her lost limb, laughed briefly before packing up his things untying her from the tree, but leaving the rope that bound her arms together. He didn't speak to her much but told her it was time to move on from the area. They had walked for hours and for the most part, he kept Lauren drugged but didn't want her falling asleep on their journey so he hadn't given her any pills for hours. As the day was finally over he finally seemed to take pity on Lauren, and slipped her a pill that she quickly swallowed, allowing the narcotic to knock her out.

While Lauren slept, Paul unpacked some of this things and went to take a peek on the group of teenagers he was stalking. They'd built a campfire and were crowded around it eating some watermelon. He noticed Angela and Felix were sitting very close to where he hid behind a tree. The pair were making out quietly, oblivious to his presence. He noticed they had boxes of fruit and deciding to be daring, he pilfered a couple mangoes before returning to Lauren. While he was going to eat her, he needed to keep her body as healthy as could be and that meant feeding her regularly. So stashing the mangoes, he then crept back to the group, making sure to stay hidden in the shadows but keeping a close watch on his peers.

~S.O.S~

"Your stomach okay from all the walking?" Alice asked Jasper, worry laced through her tone.

"Of course I am darling." He kissed her cheek as she rested her head against his shoulder. "Are you alright from the walk? We walked for so long. I'm tired."

Alice shrugged. "I'm alright Jazz. I'm more concerned about you than myself. Besides, Rose said we wouldn't be walking much tomorrow so I think we'll be alright and can rest up tomorrow."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Alright. You go to sleep okay? I have to use the little girls room behind a tree."

Jasper kissed her lips quickly before telling her to be safe and hurry back to his side. Alice hurried to the trees so she could relieve her bladder, but once she was inside the forest, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she glanced around warily.

"Anyone out there?" she called loud enough that anyone in the surrounding area would hear her, but back at the campsite they wouldn't be disturbed. When she received no answer, she picked a tree and prepared to do her business when a sudden rustling had her bladder run dry. She didn't waste any time before stumbling out of the forest and back into her spot next to Jasper.

"Feel relieved?" he asked her sleepily.

"Yeah." She lied before resting beside him, deciding to hold her bladder until the morning.

~S.O.S~

Paul watched Alice walk towards him then stop a few trees away. She was walking very slowly and wiggling her hips like she needed to use the bathroom. He looked at her small body and almost pouted. She was such a small girl that she wouldn't last him long if he wanted to eat her for days. But if his hunger prevailed, he'd take her down without a second thought. Even though he had Lauren, he was planning for the future. Seeing her pick a tree, he figured now was the time to strike. He took a step forward and a bush snagged on his foot and rustled. He paused and crouched behind the tree again.

"Anyone out there? Alice called out. Paul could hear fear creeping into her voice and groaned in frustration when she quickly made her way out of the forest. "

"Better luck next time." He grumbled to himself.

~S.O.S~

Embry sat next to Leah who had fallen asleep angled away from him. She made it explicitly clear that she didn't want him anywhere near him or he would get a few punches to his arm. When she had fallen asleep, Embry had returned to her and couldn't help being close to her. It hurt to know that she didn't remember their special relationship.

"Leah…please remember us." He whispered sadly, crunching his knees up so that he could rest his legs on them and wrap his arms around them. "Please. I miss you."

**A/N: Are y'all still reading this? Another update is underway!**


	43. Succor

Chapter 42  
><em>Succor- [suhk-er] Help; relief; aid; assistance.<em>

"Alright guys! Let's move out!" Rosalie shouted through cupped hands, reclaiming the suitcase and leading the way, this time through the woods.

Everyone was still feeling the effects of yesterday and moving was tough. Jacob had to carry Angela because Felix's back was still sore. Even though Felix wanted to carry her himself, the moment she was on his back, he collapsed. So he accepted the help his friend offered.

Once the group was situated, they trudged through the woods and slowed considerably. Tree roots, uneven dirt terrain and flora stopped them from having a quick trek. After a couple hours, Rosalie figured they had gone deep enough into the island for it was becoming very hilly and the air was getting humid and cool.

"Do you hear that noise?" Emmett asked the group.

Everyone stopped walking and ears strained to hear a special noise.

"It sounds like water." Quil gasped. "Is there another waterfall?"

Suddenly sluggish legs became energized and everyone was hurrying forth to the source of the noise. When they entered the area, eyes widened in a delight, the things being carried were dropped, except Angela, and everyone ran forth to immerse themselves in the water.

The teens had reached the main source of water for the island. The land around them was a large clearing, much bigger than the one Jacob, Felix and Mike had found a couple weeks ago when pond was stagnant and a watermelon field was nearby. No, this pond branched off into little rivers that spread out through island and disappeared into the woods. It also happened to be attached to a waterfall that was attached to the wide mountainous wall of land in front of them. The wall looked like giant steps in some places where the water cascaded down gently, but other spots had rocks jutting out at dangerous angles that looked untouchable. The area surrounding the waterfall and adjoined pond held numerous fruit trees that brought solace to the teens, along with the natural caverns carved into the base and along the body of the mountainous wall.

"It's so warm!" Alice squealed, dipping her head under the water and swimming over to where Jasper was floating on his back.

"Not really warm, more like cool or room temperature." Felix grunted, but was secretly happy by their findings. He stuck close to Angela though, so on the shore.

"We should've found this weeks ago!" Emmett said happily, splashing his girlfriend with the water. Rosalie dunked him under in retaliation.

"That little waterfall at the bunker must've been attached to this one. We should've followed it." Quil suggested.

"We couldn't do that. It fell off the side of a hill. We would've literally had to climb that hill to keep sight of it." Jacob told him. "That would've been really hard."

Quil cocked his head to the side in contemplation. "How did we find it now if we didn't climb uphill?"

Jacob shrugged. "My guess is that the part of the island we were on before was low and over here it's higher up so we've been walking uphill and not knowing it because it was gradual."

"Oh, makes sense." Quil sat in the water and closed his eyes. "It's so warm."

For a while, the teens played in the water, carefree of many things. But soon fatigue kicked in and it was time to settle into their new home.

"I'm starting to wonder if this was a good idea." Rosalie laughed, kicking off soggy shoes and trying to squeeze the excess water out of her shirt.

"I noticed some caves over there." Angela spoke as her peers began to shuffle towards the shore, dripping water everywhere with their wet clothes. "Maybe we won't have to build anything this time as a shelter.

At the mention of caves, Embry shuddered and looked at them wearily, thinking back to what happened last time he was in one. Jacob walked over to his friend and clapped him on the back gently. "Don't worry, these look safer." He told him softly. "I don't think there will be the same problem as before. If anything, animals might have taken a claim to them first." Embry gave a weak smile of thanks before shrugging off his fears.

"Well let's check them out." Rosalie stated, leading the group over to the natural caves. Some were too small for them to fit comfortably, while others were large enough to house three or four easily. "Since some of these are too small, we may need to double up or something." Rosalie looked at everyone with a glare. "Pair up and pick your roommates. Don't act like kids and fight over them—I call this one!" the blonde dashed over to the cave that was closest to the waterfall and soon everyone was running around trying to find the perfect living space.

It took ten minutes, but soon everyone was happy with their cave. Closest to the waterfall, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice sought out their new home and had already begun to put up a door made of clothes. Next to their cave was a cave too small for a lot of people and hung low to the ground. If anyone wanted this cave, they'd have to crawl inside and remain flat. So the teens left it alone. But next to this one was a cave big enough for Bella, Jacob, Angela and Felix. While Rosalie's cave was wide but only a few feet deep, Bella's cave was deep and only a few feet wide. So when they slept, someone would be blocking the entryway. They too were gathering things to make a door. Felix decided to fashion a door out of vines and sticks, much similar to the vine huts he'd made weeks ago. The cave directly next to there's belonged to Leah, Embry and Quil. It was smaller than the other caves but big enough for all of them to fit inside. While everyone had mainly grouped up in terms of caves, Edward decided to be a loner and picked one of the smaller caves on the outskirts to live in by himself. Everyone left him to his own devices and went about creating doors, and bringing things into their caves to spruce it up or make it more inhabitable. The teens were lucky though. The part of the island they were currently residing had a lot of moss growing across the terrain and made their resting area soft.

"Things are turning around for the better." Bella smiled at Jacob as she helped bring vines and sticks to Felix. "Maybe things will be smooth sailings from here."

Jacob returned the smile and kissed her forehead. "Maybe."

~S.O.S~

Lauren looked down at the small river cutting through the forest. She knew from Paul's rants that if you walked for a few minutes north, the others were making a camp.

"You thirsty?" Paul asked her, already leaning her down to drink some of the water. Lauren wasn't thirsty but drank some of the water anyway. Paul had gotten into the habit of crushing up the Vicodin and putting it in her food. She didn't fall asleep as easily this way, and the drug often left her disoriented and light headed. But it did detract from the pain. She knew that tonight he would be taking her full arm and she wasn't looking forward to that.

"Please let me go." She murmured half-heartedly.

Paul didn't even respond, merely sat her up against a tree and tied her to it. He didn't even tie her tight because she was so drugged that even if she stumbled away, he'd be able to catch her with no problem and they were just far enough away that she the others wouldn't hear her if she screamed.

Lauren looked down at the bloody cloth over her stump. Paul had kept it tied tightly so that she wouldn't bleed to death. But under her conditions, she wouldn't last long regardless.

Finally she sighed. "Why delay the inevitable…just kill me."

Paul glanced up from his spot. He was creating a small campfire for his meal he decided to delay until the next day. "No. The meat on you will go bad."

Lauren wept silently as he went about his task and ignored her completely.

~S.O.S~

"Let's gather 'round the campfire and sing our campfire song. Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song. And if you don't think that we can sing it faster, then you're wrong. But it'll help if you just sing alllllong!" Quil sang loudly, causing everyone around the unlit campfire to look at him oddly.

"Bom. Bom. Boooom." Embry chimed in with the next verse. "CAMPFIR—"

"Oh, cut it out you two. No one wants to hear that song." Rosalie threw some sticks onto the pile that would soon be their campfire, before sitting down next to Emmett who was trying to get a spark.

After everyone had finished personalizing their caves with makeshift doors, Rosalie had the boys gather some large rocks which were placed in a wide circle a few feet away from their caves. It would be their new campfire. It was very late in the day, the sun having dipped low against the horizon and causing shadows to creep up along with night. So they were ending the day much similar to how they ended most days, sitting around the campfire. The only difference this time around being that there was no fish to consume but instead fruit.

"I love roasted plantains." Angela murmured happily.

Felix watched her eating the cousin of bananas and gagged.

"Want one?" she offered jokingly.

Felix glared at her, but there was no anger behind his eyes, merely playful anger. He kissed his girlfriend's cheek while eating his mango.

Embry stared at Felix and Angela with envy. Glancing over at Leah who was sitting beside him, scowling at the fire while tearing into some berries, he desperately wanted her to remember her feelings. Standing up, the boy walked away from the campfire and stood near the waterfall. The light from the campfire barely illuminated the area he stood, but he could see enough to not fall into the warm water. For a few minutes, Embry stood alone, drowning in his thoughts, but a shuffling noise alerted him someone had walked over to where he stood. He could feel their presence beside him, but he didn't speak first.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Bella asked quietly. Back at the campfire, everyone was beginning to return to their caves and while Jacob had gone to use a tree as a latrine, she'd decided to engage in conversation with Embry who seemed out of sorts.

The boy in question didn't know if he should share how he felt, but felt more comfortable talking about it with Bella than he would with his friend, Jacob. Releasing a sigh, Embry ran a nervous hand through his hair. "It's Leah."

"What about her?" Bella inquired.

"She has amnesia as you know. But…before then," Embry paused and lowered his talking even more. "We were together."

The news surprised Bella, but she smiled and patted his back gently. "That's great. Oh, I understand. With her memory gone, she doesn't remember?"

Embry nodded solemnly.

A silence reigned for a moment before Bella patted his back again. "I have one question for you." She could see Jacob returning to their cave and she wanted to retire for the night with him.

"What?"

"Before you two got together, did she like you then?"

Embry nodded slowly. "She said that she did, why?"

Bella smiled but shook her head. "You'll figure it out I'm sure." She replied cryptically before leaving a confused Embry behind and returning to Jacob inside the cave.

For the next six days the teens fell into a peaceful pattern. In the early morning they would divide into three different groups. One group headed back to the beach to fish, the second group forged for fruit while the final group prepared the area for the oncoming fish, and kept watch over the caves.

Usually the fish group consisted of Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, while the fruit group held Bella, Jacob, Leah and Embry. Occasionally they would switch it up but regardless of who was in which group, they always returned to the caves with food.

"Things have been really nice lately." Bella noted while they picked some berries from a bush.

Jacob nodded in agreement and popped a berry into his mouth. "Don't jinx it Bella."

The brunette giggled as he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.

~S.O.S~

"There once was a girl from Forks.

She was delivered by storks.

She grew up to be right handed.

And sometimes she couldn't stand it.

But now she sits on a forest lawn

Because her arm is completely gone." Lauren sing-sang the poem deliriously. The pills she'd been eating for days had warped her perception and everything seemed to make her giggle. No pain was felt from her right arm being completely gone. Paul had done his best to staunch the bleeding and somehow had managed to patch her. While she did lose a lot of blood and was paler than the moon, she was still alive. They both knew that the next time he removed another limb from her while she was so weak, she would die. So for the last couple of days, Paul had searched for animals to hunt and left his classmate to recuperate.

Lauren glanced up at the sky that she could barely see through the trees. Paul had left an hour ago and she was all alone. Or so she thought.

"Lauren? What happened to your arm?" a voice called from somewhere she couldn't see. The voice sounded appalled and for a brief fleeting moment, she couldn't fathom why. But then she brought her head down to glance at her missing arm and a distressed giggle escaped her. The person hurried over to where she sat and quickly untied her. "I've got to get you out of here."

When the person was finally in her line of sight, Lauren frowned. "Alec?" she asked. "That you?" the sound of her own voice seemed to entertain her and she giggled again.

"Are you on drugs?" Alec asked astounded.

Lauren nodded and pointed to the half-filled Vicodin bottle sitting near the pot where her arm once cooked inside. "Grab it."

Alec did as she requested before finishing up untying her and helping her to her feet. "Can you walk?" he asked her.

Lauren took a step and swayed but kept her ground. "I think so."

Alec wrapped his arm around her, being careful not to press into her wound and helped her through the forest at a slow but steady pace. When they had made it close to the beach, he sat her down for a rest. "Okay, why were tied to a tree, and why is your arm missing?" Alec asked calmly.

"Paul gets hungry sometimes." Lauren answered airily. "I deserve it though. Poor Jess."

Alec's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

"Be careful around Paul." Lauren warned without conviction. "Why are you here?"

Alec looked at her patched up arm and the dark bloody stain. "I was going to kill myself." He answered honestly. "I feel weird without my twin. I went into the woods, prepared to die. But I couldn't do it. So I wandered around aimlessly for a while and ate random fruits, drank from wherever I could find water. Being on my own for so long was hard though. I tried to find the others, but when I went back a few days ago, they weren't at the hill. So I continued searching and then I heard you talking to yourself. I'm ready to get off this island. I have an idea I want to share with the others when I find them."

Lauren nodded like she was following what he was saying, but everything seemed to just go in one ear and out the other.

**A/N: This chapter is seguing into the last couple of chapters, plus an epilogue. I can't believe it's almost over! :o**


	44. Irascible

Chapter 43  
><em>Irascible- [ih-ras-uh-buhl] Easily provoked to anger; very irritable.<br>_

"I think we caught enough for today." Rosalie announced as the seventh fish was tossed onto the sand.

"I agree." Alice wiped the sweat from her brow then leant forward and scooped up two of the fish to carry back to the caves where they would gut and clean them on one of the small detached rivers. Jasper and Rosalie followed her, also grabbing two fish.

Emmett looked down at the one fish he caught and frowned. "You guys head back, I'm going to stay here and try to catch one more."

Rosalie pecked his check and leaned against him. "Do you want me to wait with you?"

"It's alright Rose. You head back and get started on cooking these." He ran a wet hand through her hair and pulled her face forward to capture her lips in a quick kiss.

After their brief but intimate moment, Rosalie departed with Alice and Jasper while Emmett continued to fish.

~S.O.S~

Paul glared at the spot where Lauren used to be. The rope that had once tied the girl to the tree now lay pooled on the ground. In pure anger, Paul lashed out by kicking the pot behind him and crushing the small tent, breaking the plastic poles. He roared to let out his frustrations and many birds that had settled in on the branches higher up, scattered at the noise and cawed in agitation.

The angered teen couldn't sit still but instead began to run through the forest, searching blindly for Lauren. If he hadn't been so consumed with rage, he would've noticed the tree root that had risen from the earth. Instead, he tripped and ended up tumbling over the side of the cliff with a screech.

~S.O.S~

"I'm still confused about your arm…or lack thereof." Alec muttered when Lauren reached out with her good arm to pop a pill. "Should you be taking these?"

Lauren smiled at Alec and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

"I didn't think so." He grunted, putting the pill bottle back into his pocket.

From far away, Alec heard a voice. Tuning in, he recognized it as a human. He quickly jumped to his feet and prepared to take off through the woods to find the person. But he didn't want to leave Lauren behind, so he lifted her from the ground gently and as fast as he could, he half-dragged, half-carried the unconscious girl through the woods. As he grew closer to the voice, he realized it was more than one person.

"No, it is definitely your turn to gut the fish. I did that yesterday with Jazz. _We're_ cooking this time." Alice stated while watching her step carefully so as not to trip on any of the risen tree roots.

Rosalie snorted as she sidestepped a bush with prickly leaves. "I don't think so shorty. Emmett and I were the ones that gutted those suckers. It's our turn to cook them. You need to gut them."

"You're lying through your teeth!" Alice countered. "We all know you hate gutting them and shirk your duties on Quil."

Rosalie shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not my fault he is sweet on me."

Alice rolled her eyes. "He is not sweet on you. You threatened to withhold his portion of the fish if he didn't clean them." If Alice had her hands free, she would have placed them on her hips.

"Whatever. It's not like he does anything. It's his way of contributing."

"Actually, every day he has to go out and collect enough pieces of wood for the fire, then he has to gather a lot of large leaves for us to eat on. Starting a fire isn't easy and it's not like Edward helps him. Plus Felix is trying to get Angela to walk again so he's not much use either. Quil actually does contribute." Jasper put in his two cents.

"No one asked you." Rosalie snapped, then paused when she noticed someone a few feet away coming towards them. "What the—"

"Wait!" Alec called out, huffing and puffing with Lauren falling out of his grip. He managed to catch her before she fell, but had to lean against a tree for support. "I've finally found you!"

Alec was met with startled silence. Rosalie looked the boy up and down before her eyes roved over Lauren. A gasp rang through the three classmates when they realized her arm was gone. "What happened to her?" Rosalie asked when they had openly gawked for a couple minutes.

"I have no idea. I found her tied to a tree." Alec answered honestly.

"Tied to a tree?" Alice eyes widened into saucers.

"Yeah. I think Paul knows what happened. She kept mentioning him. Where were you guys headed? I'll follow."

Rosalie motioned to with her head the direction. "It's not much farther this way. Do you need help with her?"

Alec shook his head and Rosalie led the way. When they made it to the campsite, the fruit group hadn't returned yet so the only people around were Edward, Felix and Angela. Even Quil was gone, most likely in search of wood or leaves for the fire.

Felix was so busy trying to help Angela that he didn't notice the others had returned. But Edward did, and immediately his eyes narrowed in on Lauren's missing arm. He quickly made his way over to the unconscious girl and removed her from Alec's side. He carried her to his cave and laid her down on his makeshift bed. Since his cave was the smallest, not everyone could crowd around him, but they tried. "What happened to her?" he asked while peeling off the small cloth that turned out to be a tourniquet. He removed the stick and immediately regretted it because it was staunching the gaping hole. Some of the blood had clotted over which was a good thing because it meant that she wouldn't bleed to death anytime soon. But It was a sickly red color that reminded him of Eric's gangrene except this looked like blood poisoning.

Everyone turned to Alec who held up his hands defensively. "I found her yesterday tied to a tree. She mentioned Paul but I don't know. Is he here?"

"Paul?" Edward shook his head. "We haven't seen him since the boat. I assumed him dead, to be honest. Maybe he knows why her arm is missing." Edward returned his attention to the girl. "This must hurt a lot."

"No, she'd been taking these." Alec tossed the Vicodin pill bottle to Edward who was surprised when he realized what it was.

"This is a strong narcotic! Do you know how she got her hands on these? I doubt the island produced it…unless we're not the only ones here."

"I guess we'll have to wait to ask her when she wakes up." Rosalie said slowly. "Until then, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

Rosalie, Jasper and Alice left Edward and Alec to tend to Lauren while they took care of the fish.

The trio stopped cold when an ominous crash through the woods had them dropping their fish and eyes bugging out of their sockets. When the creature sauntered out of the woods and into their clearing, fear hung thick in the air.

"Is that what I think it is?" Alice croaked softly so as not draw the attention of the large animal.

Jasper nodded and sought out her hand, clasping it firmly. "It is. Maybe if we don't move, it won't see us."

Rosalie felt like this plan could work as the creature seemed merely interested in the water at first. But then she looked down at her feet and saw the fish they had caught earlier. A gentle breeze swirled around them before carrying over to the large creature who smelled the fish and finally noticed them.

"What do we do?" Alice whispered, paling as the animal growled at them menacingly.

She was greeted with no answer as everyone around her was as frozen with fear as she.

~S.O.S~

Jacob plucked the last mango from the tree and passed it to Embry. "Alright, you and the girls can head back for the last trip. I'll get some of those berries and follow behind soon after."

Embry nodded in affirmance, then motioned to Bella and Leah to follow after him. Once they were on their way back to the caves, Jacob walked over to the blueberry bush and began quickly plucking the berries. He had what used to be a shirt now fashioned into a pouch, to carry the berries. When the pouch was half filled, a startled cry caused him to drop the berries. It sounded like a male's voice and he instantly began running towards where he heard the cry. His feet led him to the edge of island that happened to be on a rocky incline. It reminded him much of the time when Austin committed suicide after finding out that his love, Katie, had died.

"HELP!" a voice called from below.

Jacob looked down and quickly dropped to the ground when he spotted Paul hanging off the cliff. The teen was gripping a rock a couple feet below Jacob.

"Paul!" Jacob leaned over the edge and reached out to his peer. "Grab my hand!"

The hanging teen stretched his arm as far as it would go, but could only barely touch Jacob's fingertips. Jacob realized he needed to be closer, so he inched farther over the ledge so that half of his torso was hanging off. This was very dangerous as he could fall over if he weren't careful.

Stretching as far as he could, Jacob's tan fingers managed to make purchase around Paul's wrist and he tugged the boy upwards with all of his strength. He didn't end up pulling him completely over, but he pulled the boy high enough that he was able to climb over the edge. They both landed backwards and Jacob was out of breath.

"You okay Paul?" Jacob asked once his breath was caught. He turned to the side only to find that Paul had vanished.

~S.O.S~

Quil carried the numerous sticks haphazardly. It was an awkward bundle, but it would be his final trip into the woods for the day. Just as he was about to break through the trees and enter the clearing, a hand latched onto his arm and dragged him backwards. He was so startled he ended up dropping all of his sticks.

"What—" the person who grabbed him quickly flung their hand over his mouth which muffled his voice.

"Shh." They shushed him quickly and Quil rolled his eyes but cocked a brow at his capture. "There is a bear out there."

Quil's eyes widened in shock before his gaze returned to the clearing where sure enough, a bear was standing a few feet away from Rosalie, Alice and Jasper who stood frozen in the middle of the clearing. It almost looked like the bear and three teens were having a standoff.

"What's going on?" Quil asked quietly, looking at Bella, Leah and Embry with alarm written all over his face. "Where did that bear come from?"

"We don't know but they're trapped out there and we have to do something." Bella looked down at the sticks and suddenly an idea popped into her head. She scooped up the sticks and gave them to everyone around her. "We have to scare it. There's more of us than it. It must back down."

Everyone looked at the large sticks thrust upon them and put on a brave face. "Alright let's do this." Leah said, taking charge. She led the group into the clearing and they walked over towards their classmates who were visibly shaking.

When the bear noticed the others approaching, it growled angrily and the three teens closest to it, took a fearful step back. They were confused as to why it suddenly seemed angry.

"Stand your ground!" Quil stated once he and the others had gathered around Rosalie, Alice and Jasper. He quickly gave them sticks and they all faced the bear. "We have to scare it from the clearing!"

"It's scaring me from being here." Alice whispered, holding the stick with shaky hands.

"There's more of us than there is of him!" Quil thrust forward his stick and the bear took a step back. "See? He's scared!"

This invigorated the others and they all began swatting their sticks at the creature who swiped at a stick only to be jabbed by another. Quickly retreating, the animal barreled through the woods the same way they had come.

Everyone cheered and even Alec, Edward and Felix joined the group. "That was amazing!" Alec proclaimed in surprise.

"Angela was so worried about you guys." Felix spoke, keeping an eye on the woods to make sure the bear didn't come back.

"It must have smelled the fish or something." Edward stated. "Good thing there was enough of you to scare it away."

Everyone clapped themselves on the back in happiness.

"That was easy." Quil stated bravely. "But I hope we don't have to do it again."

"Agreed." Many of them decreed.

"Good thing it didn't take our fish." Alice scooped up one of the fish by our feet. "But since it's headed towards the beach, maybe it can fish for itself!" she joked, causing a few of her classmates to laugh.

When Rosalie heard the joke, she paled and nearly collapsed to her knees. "Oh no. Emmett!"

**A/N: Lots and lots will happen next chapter! But regardless, I hope you enjoyed this one. You can let me know in a review. All are appreciated, and thanks for all the new people who fav/alert this :D**


	45. Machination

Chapter 44  
><em>Machination- [mak-uh-ney-shuhn] A crafty scheme intended to accomplish some usually evil end.<em>

Emmett collected his second fish victoriously and headed back to shore. He searched the sand for his original fish and found it covered in sand. Groaning, he leaned down and tried to brush away the sand that had half buried the fish. With his focus on the fish, Emmett didn't notice when a bear came barreling out of the forest. It immediately smelled the fish and charged towards the oblivious boy. Emmett felt like he'd just run into a wall when the weight of the bear caused him to fall hard to the ground and there was no way for him to get up, for the bear was standing above his body.

It took Emmett a moment to realize what was happening. He'd thought that one of his peers had come back and playfully tackled him. But the tackle was too rough and when his eyes focused on what was above him, he released an ear-shattering scream that only further startled the bear. When bears are scared, their fear turns to anger and soon the bear was taking his anger out on Emmett by gnashing it's sharp teeth against Emmett's torso, arms and even his face.

~S.O.S~

Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Felix and Edward ran through the woods like they were on fire. Adrenaline coursed through their bodies, giving them almost inhuman speed. By the time they made it to the beach, the bear was already attacking Emmett.

"NO!" Rosalie screamed in pure terror. Her feet never stopped moving and she ran right into the bear, pushing it halfway off Emmett who was drenched with blood and looked much like Ben had looked, weeks ago when the Jaguar had attacked him.

The bear turned around to face its new threat and found itself surrounded by the teenagers. It growled menacingly but retreated slowly. They screamed at the bear and waved the sticks they never dropped from before. With one last snarl from the bear, it swiped at Rosalie, missing, before dashing away towards the woods.

"Emmett!" Rosalie dropped to her knees and fretted above the injured boy.

Emmett coughed, splattering more blood across his face and neck. He reminded Rosalie of all those horror movies she'd seen of mutilated bodies, only with this being her reality, it was even more grotesque.

Edward silently made his way to Emmett and inspected his injuries while Rosalie held her boyfriend's hand and cried silently. "Felix, Alice, Jasper…" Edward briefly glanced up at the three teens. "I need two of you to bring me a plant that looks like this," Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow flower. "It's a marigold. I read once that they had medicinal purposes. I'm hoping it can help. I know some grow on this island."

Alice exchanged glances with Jasper before giving Edward a curt nod. "We'll do it!"

"Okay! After you do that, had back to our camp. That's where we'll be waiting." Edward watched the pair dart off into the woods before turning his attention to Felix. "I need you to return to our camp and tell everyone who is free to come here and help us transport Emmett back to the camp. Also, bring some of the clothes so I can staunch the blood flow. And Felix,"

"Yeah?"

"Hurry!"

Felix did as he was told and began to race back to camp.

Rosalie wiped away her tears and continued to hold Emmett's hand. "Emmett, how do you feel?" she asked softly.

The boy in question glanced up at his girlfriend wearily. "I've had better days." He whispered and cracked a small smile.

Rosalie laughed hollowly and leaned down to kiss his bloody forehead. "Edward's going to take good care of you." She told him. "So don't worry about…about…" Rosalie chocked back some tears and briefly turned away from Emmett.

"Hey Rose, can you go down to the beach and find some seashells and bring them back filled with seawater?" Edward asked her.

"Okay." Rosalie barely murmured, before doing what Edward had had requested.

While Rosalie was away, Edward continued looking over Emmett. "You have multiple scratches across your face Em." Edward sighed. "I don't see any fatal wounds…but that's only if you were in a hospital. "It's possible you can die of infections like Eric did." Edward removed some of Emmett's torn shirt by ripping it further and exposing his chest. "Here seems to have received the most damage. I can see tissue which is never good. But from the looks of your injures, the bear, miraculously, didn't hit any arteries as from what I can tell. But if you survive, you'll have the scars to prove it."

Emmett tried to sit up but Edward pushed him back down, gently. "Don't even try. We need to keep you horizontal. After I flush out your wounds with the seawater, and as soon as Felix brings those clothes, we can slow that blood flow and get you back to camp. I think Quil brought back papaya which we can cover your wounds in as well. They also have medicinal purposes. Try not to move too much, you'll lose more blood and pass out."

"The flowers will help too?"

Edward nodded. "Yes."

At that time, Rosalie returned with three seashells filled with ocean water. Edward took two and poured it over Emmett's open wounds. The boy winced as the saltwater burned his flesh.

"Close your eyes." Edward told Emmett before pouring the third seashell over Emmett's face. "I know it hurts, but it helps.

"I hope so." Emmett gritted out after some of the burn sensation had diminished.

~S.O.S~

Jacob returned to the campsite to find it almost completely barren. The only person he could actually see was Angela who was sitting near the campfire that she was trying to light.

"Angela, where is everyone?" Jacob asked, walking over to where she sat and taking a seat beside her, giving her a hand.

"Where have you been?" she asked confused. "Everyone is trying to help Emmett!"

"What happened to Emmett?"

"The bear. First it came here but we scared it off. Emmett was still on the beach so it attacked him. Felix told us that Alice and Jasper are searching for some flower herbs while Quil went off to gather some more papaya. Everyone else is trying to bring him back here."

"Maybe I should go help them!" Jacob jumped to his feet when Angela's hand reached out and grabbed his leg.

"Wait!"

"What?" he asked bewildered.

"Do you know where Leah and Embry are?"

Jacob paused for a moment. "Aren't they helping Emmett?"

Angela shook her head. "I haven't seen them since early this morning. Being stuck here, I try to keep tabs on everyone but I've lost track of them. Emmett has all the help he needs right now. Do you think you could search for them?"

Jacob seemed conflicted for a moment before deciding to search for his friends. Angela had a point, nearly everyone who was able was helping Emmett. Hopefully he'd be just fine. But this new news on Leah and Embry had him concerned. "Alright. What direction did they head in this morning?"

Angela pointed to a direction on the other side of the waterfall. "Somewhere over there."

"Okay! I'll try to be back before dark." Jacob trotted off in that direction in the hopes of finding his friends.

~S.O.S~

Edward wrapped the last shirt around Emmett's arm before looking at the teens hovering over him. "Okay, Bella, you grab his left arm, Rosalie, you grab his right arm. Felix you get his left leg and Alec, you get his right. I'll stabilize the middle. He shouldn't be too heavy with five of us carrying him, we just need to hurry back to the camp. I really hope Alice and Jasper are back by that time. Alright gang, let's move out!"

~S.O.S~

Leah winced as Embry pulled the sharp pieces of wood out of Leah's arm. They had been gathering fruit, when Embry had pulled Leah aside to talk to her. She didn't want to listen to him so she stormed off and ended up falling on what looked to be a trap. Lining the ground were thirty or so wooden stakes that ranged from as skinny as finger to as thick as an arm. Embry didn't know who laid the trap, but it could've proved fatal to the girl. She ended up falling on the smaller stakes but many went through her arm and a couple along the side of her body. Embry had helped her as best he could, but there were still ten stakes left.

"Ow! Be careful!" Leah griped when a particularly thick stick was ripped from her arm. "Who even put this here?"

Embry shrugged while yanking out another stick. "Leah, may I ask you a question?" he asked slowly.

Leah suppressed another scream. "What?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"I was wondering—Paul?"

In the middle of his question, he spotted Paul dashing through the woods and towards himself.

"Wow! I didn't know you were still alive! This great!"

Paul continued running and when he reached Embry, he pulled back his fist and smashed it into Embry's face causing the boy to fall back into Leah, knocking her down. Leah screamed from the pain and Embry lifted up his arm to block the next few blows Paul delivered.

"Paul! Stop! It's me! Embry! You're hurting us!"

Paul ignored Embry's words and continued to pummel the boy below him until he was barely conscious. Leah had finally broken down and began sobbing horrendously while Paul went to town on Embry.

After what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a couple minutes, Paul stopped beating down on the know bloody and bruised Embry. He pulled the weak boy off of Leah and tied a rope to his wrists. After he'd tied up Embry, he used the same rope to tie up Leah .

"Now we're going to go for a walk. If you don't walk, I will drag your lifeless body through this jungle. So move it!"

~S.O.S~

Edward could just barely fit Emmett into his small cave since Lauren was taking up nearly half of the space. But he let Emmett rest near the entrance as he worked on his injuries. Alice and Jasper had returned with the flowers and he laid them over the numerous wounds. After he'd completed that task, he, Rosalie and Bella set about the task of putting pieces of papaya over the flowers.

"What's this supposed to do again?" Felix asked while watching the three work meticulously.

Edward glanced up briefly at Felix. "The flowers are to help clean out the wounds and hopefully stop any inflammation that happens. The papaya flesh is to help heal the actual cut. It's actually used in many medicines."

"Oh." Felix sighed. "We just can't catch a break here." He walked away to be with Angela who was helping with cooking the fish.

"It's getting late." Quil noted. He'd returned with more papaya and handed them to Edward. "Will Emmett survive the night?"

Rosalie glared at Quil but shot a hesitant glance at Edward.

"Only time will tell, but I'm thinking yes."

"Thank goodness." Rosalie smiled down at Emmett who had fallen asleep.

~S.O.S~

Jacob crept low behind a bush and couldn't believe his eyes. He'd heard sobbing and ran towards the noise. Only to find Paul tying Leah and Embry to a tree. What made the whole situation worse was that Embry looked beaten and battered, while Leah looked half covered in blood.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Leah screamed at Paul who was working to start a fire. "Why are we tied up? What do you plan to do to us?"

"I'm hungry!" Paul snapped. "Unlike you idiots, I can't eat the fruits and crap you find on this dumb island!" Paul threw down the sticks he'd been holding in frustration. "The only thing I can eat is meat!"

Leah snorted. "What does that have to do with you tying us to a tree and beating up Embry?"

Paul laughed darkly. "What meat do you think I'm eating?"

Jacob was happy Leah gasped so loudly, because he had done the same and didn't want to blow his cover.

"YOU CAN'T EAT HUMANS! THAT'S CANNIBALISM YOU DISGUSTING PIG!" Leah made her opinions apparent while Paul returned to building a fire.

"Sure I can. I've already eaten Mr. Banner, Katie and part of Lauren. But since Lauren managed to escape," Paul paused in annoyance. "I will have to use you two as backups. Only this time, I won't let you escaped. I made sure to tie you extra tight to that tree. Tomorrow morning, one of you will be losing a limb. Maybe when Embry wakes up, you both can decide who wants to go first."

Leah spat at Paul in anger. "Get us out of these ropes, or so help me I will—

"What?" Paul cut her off and walked over to where she was tied up. He leaned close to her face and smirked. "What will you do?" he prodded her in her forehead roughly. "Because from where I'm standing, you're defenseless!"

Leah head-butted him with all the strength she could muster and caused Paul to fall backwards. "Oops. My head slipped." She laughed innocently.

"Just you wait Leah Clearwater. You won't be laughing when I'm eating you and your friend!"

While Paul ranted, it got darker and soon he gave up on lighting a fire and fell asleep in his tent. Jacob looked at the state Leah and Embry were in and knew he had to do something. But Paul was armed and he didn't want to end up captured like Leah and Embry.

Quietly, Jacob crawled over to where Leah was tied to a tree. Making sure to keep his voice low, he spoke to Leah. "It's me, Jacob. Be very quiet."

Leah was startled by Jacob's voice, but didn't speak loudly like she normally would. "Jacob? What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I was searching for you and Embry." Jacob replied softly. "I heard everything Paul said. I can't believe he eats people." Jacob paused and tried to untie Leah from the tree but was having a hard time with his shaky hands.

"He's clearly lost it." Leah sagged into the tree. "Jacob, you have to get help. Paul has a knife and is definitely not afraid to use it. Even if you untie us, we're in no shape to walk all the way back. At this point, Embry probably has a concussion and I feel like someone just took a cheese grater to h half of my body. Get help. We'll try to stay alive."

Jacob looked at Leah in the near pitch black darkness and nodded. It was the hardest thing he had to do, leave them behind. But he knew he must. So trying his best to find his back to the campsite, he hurried through the woods, leaving Leah and Embry behind.

**A/N: Next update will be out MUCH sooner than this one! Only got a couple more chapters, and an epilogue left! I hope everyone enjoys what's to come.**


	46. Harbinger

Chapter 45  
><em>Harbinger- [hahr-bin-jer] a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; anything that foreshadows a future event<em>

Time passed by slowly for Leah. She was in such an uncomfortable position that she couldn't fall asleep and it didn't help that she was afraid to wake up and find an arm or leg missing. It had finally become so dark that she couldn't see in front of her and somehow that comforted her a little.

A groan to her left alerted her that Embry had woken up. The boy had been tied to a tree next to her that was about a foot away. "Embry?" she whispered softly. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." Embry replied louder than she.

Leah shushed him. "Be quiet!" she whisper-yelled. "If you haven't figured it out, we're tied to a tree because of that idiot Paul."

Embry looked in the direction of Leah's voice. "Oh no."

"Exactly. But don't worry, help is on the way." She assured him. "How is your face? You took quite the beating." She asked, worriedness slipping into her voice.

Embry ignored the pain of his swollen face and quickly flexed all of his limbs. Aside from some being asleep, he figured he was pretty good and let Leah know so. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Did Paul hurt you?"

"No." Leah replied quickly. "That disgusting cannibal said he is going to eat one us in the morning."

Embry sighed and winced at the pain it caused his face. "We can't worry about that right now. There's nothing we can do. You said someone was coming right?"

"Yes."

"Then we need to just sit tight until they do."

Leah sagged against the tree. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am." Embry joked.

For a while, silence reigned and the two enjoyed the comfortable silence. Or at least as comfortable as being tied to a tree in the dark could be. Finally though, Embry gathered up the nerve to ask Leah something that had been on his mind since her accident that lead to amnesia.

"Leah?"

"Yeah?"

Embry drew in a deep breath. "Do you remember anything yet?"

"Unfortunately not. This whole ordeal is so confusing." She grunted.

"Oh." Embry paused and gathered his wits while crossing his fingers. "Do you like me?" Embry's question was met with stone-cold silence. He waited and for a whole minute Leah didn't speak. That minute turned into two and three and soon he wondered if she'd fallen asleep.

"Why are you asking me that?" Leah asked subdued.

"A little birdy told me you did." Embry responded. "I just wanted to know if it were true."

Leah scoffed a bit loudly then remembered to keep her voice low. "Well I don't." she told him standoffishly. "The little birdy lied and I'm going to kill it."

A weight settled into Embry's heart. "Then why did you take so long to answer?" he asked sadly.

Leah shrugged until she remembered that he couldn't see her. "I don't know. I was thinking about what could have made you ask me that."

"Oh."

"Who told you that by the way?"

"It doesn't matter." Embry replied.

"Well since you asked me that, do you like me?"

Embry thought about whether he should lie or not, and decided against it. It's not like it mattered much anymore. "I do."

"What? Really?" Leah's surprise lead way to skepticism. "Okay what's going on? Is this some prank or something?"

"No." Embry replied pensively. "I like you. I guess I should tell you the truth—"

"I lied. I do like you. And I swear that if this is a trick on your part, I am going to beat you blue."

Embry laughed lightly at the threat. "So you _do_ like me." he stated.

"Yes. But don't you like that weirdo Cathy chick?"

Embry would have face-palmed if he had a free hand. It was like déjà vu. He decided to take the time to finally explain to Leah how things were before her amnesia including the full story of how they had become marooned on the island, how they became a couple and who he knew had died from the island.

~S.O.S~

The sun had just peeked over the horizon when Jacob made it back to the campsite. It had taken him all night to get back because it was dark and he'd gotten lost. But ultimately what had crunched his time was that he'd fallen asleep in the woods. But now awake and with the light to guide him, he ended up back at the waterfall. When he reached the camp, he found that almost everyone was awake.

"Jacob! Where have you been man?" Quil called to him from where he stood by the box that held the fruit. He picked up a papaya and walked over to Edward who was changing Emmett's makeshift bandages.

"I don't have much time to explain!" Jacob began in a rush. "But I need as many as possible to come with me right away!"

Edward looked up at Jacob and scowled. "Well I can't go, I have a patient."

"Rosalie, Felix, Alec…I really need your help with Leah and Embry."

Rosalie looked at Emmett and pushed back all of her emotions. "We'll help."

"Okay, we have to hurry! I'll brief you on the way."

After the quartet had gone, Edward continued tending to Emmett. It didn't seem like the boy had taken a drastic turn for the worst, and for that Edward was happy. But it was too soon to give Emmett a clean bill of health.

"I wonder what's going on with Embry and Leah." Quil commented. "Jacob sure was in a rush. It's too bad I can't run or else I would've joined him. I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure it's no big deal." Edward grumbled.

Quil cocked a brow at Edward. "What's with the hostility between you and Jake?"

Edward narrowed his eyes at Quil before shooting the cave he knew Bella to be sleeping in, a sad look. "Because he took something from me that I can never get back."

Quil rolled his eyes. "Dude. If you're complaining about Bella, there are other fish in the sea."

"But none like her." Edward sighed. "Leave me alone. I have to keep watch over my patients. Don't you have to go search for fruit or something else that's stupid?"

Quil took offense to that and let it be known by the mango he threw at Edward's head. It rebounded off his skull before rolling across the ground.

"OW! QUIL!" Edward shrieked in pain, rubbing the back of his head tenderly.

The boy laughed as he walked away to go search for more fruit.

After Quil had gone, Bella woke up and looked around the cave. Angela was asleep a few feet away but the boys were missing. Last night after carrying Emmett back to the camp, Bella was extremely tired and had fallen asleep soon after. But now she was worried. Did Jacob ever come back? Where was he now? She yawned and crawled out of the cave.

"Jacob?" she called out while searching the area with her eyes.

"He's not here!" Edward told her from his spot. "He took some of the others out to help Leah and Embry."

"Help them? What's going on?" Bella asked panicky. Fear slammed into her like a bulldozer and she could feel a cold sweat coming on.

Edward shrugged. "I don't know. He came in here freaking out, and then he left with Rose and Felix and Alec."

Bella began to pace for there was nothing else she could do since she didn't know where they'd gone.

~S.O.S~

Quil popped a berry into his mouth and chewed it happily. He decided to take a break from all of his fruit gathering for the group, and have a nice breakfast on the beach. His breakfast being a couple handfuls of berries and a coconut.

"Times like this isn't so bad." Quil spoke out loud to himself while taking a sip of his coconut milk. "Being here for so long, I almost can't remember what it was like to be home." Quil glanced down at his leg. He was getting much better at walking and the limp was starting to fade. "Maybe we can build a life here! Start a whole new tribe of people. We could have families…wait. All the girls are paired up…except Leah and Lauren. Ew Lauren! I am not getting stuck with that woman. And Leah is a hothead! I can't be the only one on this island without a girl!" Quil groaned in annoyance. "I don't want to be here anymore!" he threw his coconut down in frustration and wasted the rest of the milk. "This place sucks; I want to go home."

Far off in the ocean, Quil noticed something moving. At first he thought he was seeing things, so he wiped the corners of his eyes and blinked against the morning sun. But when his vision cleared, what he saw was still out there. Granted, it was so far away that he doubt he could be seen, the fact that was close enough to the island to be seen, sent excitement through his body and left him with something that had escaped weeks ago. Hope. For out there on the sea sat a boat.

**A/N: Has the time come for rescue?**


	47. Waylay

Chapter 46  
><em>Waylay- [wey-ley, wey-ley] to intercept or attack from ambush, as in order to rob,<br>seize, or slay._

"So do you remember anything?" Embry asked Leah after finishing up telling her about their short relationship.

Surprisingly, Leah nodded. "I do remember some of the moments you described. Wow, how did I forget that?"

If Embry weren't tied to a tree, he would've hugged and kissed Leah senselessly. "As long as you remember."

"Oh how sweet." Paul sarcastically sneered. Both teens turned to look at the tent area only to find Paul looming around outside of it. He was glaring at the pair and it caused Embry to shiver with anxiety. "She remembers you both dating. _Whoopy-doo_. Have we decided who is losing an arm? I'm hungry."

Embry side-glanced at Leah who was doing her best to put on a stoic face, but Embry could tell she was shaking with terror. "Paul…what are you talking about? Lose an arm?"

Paul laughed darkly. "I take it Leah didn't tell you about my new diet and why you're here?"

Embry turned his attention to Leah who was trying to not seem fazed by Paul's words. "Leah? What's he talking about?"

"He eats people now." Leah grunted out. She howled in pain when Paul poked her in one of her injuries.

"I do indeed, Leah. And let me tell you, at first people taste weird but it's a taste that grows on you."

Embry couldn't believe his ears. "I thought you were just calling him a cannibal yesterday as a way to insult him." Embry gagged. "Why Paul? Why?" he asked disgusted.

Paul narrowed his eyes at Embry. "Because every fruit on this stupid island makes me sick!" After regaining his slipping composure, Paul looked over Leah. "Since you're injured, I guess I should eat you first. You won't live as long."

Leah spat in Paul's face and then growled at him. "Get. Away. From. Me."

Paul wiped the spit off of his cheek and smacked her so hard across her face that he left a vibrant red handprint. "I can make this hurt more than it already will." Paul threatened, raising his hand again. "Don't be stupid Leah."

"Stop!" Embry screamed. "Don't hurt her!"

"Aw, look Leah. He doesn't want me to hurt you." Paul jabbed her again and she repressed a shriek.

"Please!" Embry begged. "Stop hurting her!" Embry struggled against the ropes that tied him to the tree. "STOP!"

Paul smirked at Embry before prodding Leah for the last time in her side. The last poke opened one of the wounds and blood began to seep down her dirty shirt, pooling on the ground. Leah didn't show that it hurt but continued to glare at Paul who turned and headed to his tent. "I need to get my knife if I'm to eat this morning."

Once he was gone and rummaging in his tent, Leah whispered as softly to Embry as she could. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I just hope Jacob hurries."

"Me too." Embry spoke quietly just as Paul exited the tent with his knife and dirty pot.

"Meal time!"

~S.O.S~

Quil made it back to the campsite and found Alice and Jasper playing in the waterfall water, while Edward was keeping watch over Lauren and Emmett, and Bella was chatting with Angela inside their cave. "Hey! Everyone! I have great news!" Quil made his way over to Bella and Angela while Edward, Alice and Jasper joined him. "I saw a boat!"

A collective gasp rang through the air. "You did?" Bella asked astounded.

"I did!" Quil grinned. "It was really far out on the sea, but I think it's coming to the island!"

"We're going to be saved…" Alice looked at Jasper in shock. "We're going to be saved!" A group hug ensued and as everyone absorbed the information, they became giddy with excitement.

"We need to get on that beach!" Bella blurted out. "If we can get their attention, we can make sure they come here."

"But how do we do that?" Quil asked perplexed.

Everyone thought of a good way to get the attention of the boat and suddenly Alice had the answer. "We'll do what we do best!"

"What's that?" Quil asked.

"Make a fire! They'll see the smoke and know that someone is on the island."

"That's a good idea." Jasper kissed her forehead. "Let's gather some wood and head to the beach."

"I'm going to stay here with Angela, Emmett and Lauren to keep watch over them. Also I'll tell the others when they get back, where you are." Edward told the group.

"Alright." Alice told him. "C'mon guys, let's move out!"

The four teens began heading into the woods, collecting as many sticks as they could, all the while making their way to the beach. When they finally reached the beach, their eyes honed in on the boat that seemed closer to the beach than before, but still too far away.

"We need to make this fire as big as possible, but it has to be away from the forest because we don't want it to start a forest fire." Alice told the others while they deposited their sticks and branches closer to the ocean, but not close enough for the tide to drench the wood. "Quil, since we're faster than you, we're going to gather more wood. While we do that, can you start the fire?"

Quil nodded an affirmative. "Angela even gave me her glasses to help."

"Good." Alice turned to the others. "Let's hurry! We don't want that boat to cruise by!"

~S.O.S~

"I think it was this way." Jacob told the others, getting confused as to which way led back to Leah and Embry.

"Jacob…are we lost?" Alec asked skeptically.

"No! We can't be lost. We have to get to them soon! It might be too late!" Jacob paused for a moment to gather his wits then began walking in the direction he thought Leah and Embry to be.

"You never did tell us what the problem was." Rosalie reminded him. "What's going on."

A sudden scream had them all freeze in their spots for three whole seconds before their feet had them running in the direction of the screams.

"It's Paul. He's turned cannibal! And right now he has Leah and Embry."

Shock settled over the three teens as they continued to race to scream.

~S.O.S~

Paul pulled the knife out of Leah's arm and watched the blood stream down her body. "I would slip you a pill, but that _girl_ escaped with my bottle." Paul spat. "Stop moving! I can't get a good cut on your arm with you moving like that."

Leah began thrashing around more. "DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I'M GOING TO HELP YOU SLICE UP MY BODY?" she screamed at him. "GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PYSCHO! YOU WILL NOT LET YOU EAT ME!"

Paul grabbed Leah by her hair and pulled it as tight as he could without ripping it from her skull. "Oh really? And who's going to stop m—" Paul released an involuntary breath of air as he was tackled from the side.

Jacob ripped the knife from Paul's hand and threw it a few feet away. "Quick! Untie them and take them back to the campsite!" Jacob screamed at the others while wrestling with Paul.

"No!" Paul screeched when Rosalie and Felix untied Embry from the tree and helped Alec with Leah.

Jacob struggled to restrain Paul and soon found himself rolling around on the ground, trying to keep the boy restrained.

"Get off of me!" Paul scratched at Jacob, leaving long marks across his arm.

Jacob retaliated by punching him the gut. "You're sick." Jacob growled. "How could you eat your own friends?"

Paul leered at Jacob while trying to kick him off. "You would have eaten them too if you were hungry enough."

"Never." Jacob snarled.

"We got her Jake!" Rosalie called to him.

"Good! Get them out of here!" Jacob returned his attention to Paul. "You. Lose." He punched him in the face and Paul went slack. Jacob got up from the ground and walked over to the group. "Alright, let's hurry back. He can't hurt us if—" Jacob stopped talking and the five teens looked at him expectantly.

"Jacob?" Rosalie spoke apprehensively.

The boy in question collapsed to his knees before face planting in the ground. The others gasped when they saw the knife lodged deep into his back and Paul laughing malevolently a few feet away.

**A/N: I think one more chapter then the epilogue. I can't believe we're at the end of the story!**


	48. Disbosom

Chapter 47  
><em>Disbosom- [dis-booz-uhm, -boo-zuhm] To reveal; confess.<em>

After Jacob fell, the only noise that could be heard was Paul's dark cackles. It sent chills down everyone's spine and they were frozen in their spots for a long minute. Felix was the first to break out of the shock and charged at Paul who was still laughing.

"He's going to die ya know." Paul told Felix who had grabbed the deranged boy by his shirt collar. "_All_ of you are going to die. Even your _precious_ cripple."

Felix's eyes narrowed in anger. "What. Did. You. Say."

Paul sneered at Felix while poking him the stomach. "You heard me. I've seen you and Angela together. When I eat her, I'll make sure you're watching me."

"You sick mother—"

"STOP!" Rosalie screamed, cutting off Felix. "Don't touch the knife!" Leah had leant down to pluck the bloody knife from Jacob's back, but paused when Rosalie screamed at her. "It might have hit something vital. We have to get Jacob back to the camp so Edward can help him."

"Go now!" Felix told them while keeping his eyes on Paul. "Hurry and get Jacob back to the camp. I'll follow soon after."

Rosalie, Alec, Embry and Leah helped get Jacob and prepared to leave. "Don't do anything you'll regret later!" Rosalie told Felix before disappearing in with the others.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Felix." Paul smiled sadistically, tensed for a fight. "When I finish you off, I'll make sure to eat Angela first—" Felix head butted Paul, causing the other boy to stumble backwards. Felix pursued him, hatred boiling inside of him, causing a red haze to erupt across his vision.

"SHUT UP!" Felix snarled, pulling back his clenched before slamming it into Paul's face. Unfortunately, Paul anticipated the move and ducked, so Felix barely skimmed the top of Paul's head. Paul used this to his advantage and charged forward, ramming Felix and causing both teens to fall to the ground in a scrimmage that seemed to be life or death. As they rolled around, both trying to get the upper hand on the other, it seemed that Paul was gaining the upper-hand on Felix. Soon Paul had Felix pinned to the ground, the latter struggling immensely.

Paul kneed the boy in the groin and had Felix cringe from the pain, most of the fight leaving his body. "Aw, did I hurt poor wittle Fewix?" Paul cooed, using a baby voice laced with sarcasm. "If that hurt, does this hurt too?" Paul slammed his foot into Felix's stomach and crushed down on his ribcage. Felix fought through the pain, grabbed Paul's foot and twisted as sharply as he could. He wanted to break Paul's foot, but all he managed to do was flip Paul over so the boy now lay sprawled on his back. He took this opportunity to crawl on top of Paul and pummel his face with his fists.

"Don't threaten me you despicable cannibal!" Felix bellowed enraged. "I didn't like you before we crashed on this island and if you die today, I won't cry at your funeral!"

"I'll be the last to die!" Paul spat at the boy.

Felix picked up a large rock that rested next to Paul's head. He raised it high and Paul glanced at it briefly, a moment of fear flashing across his face before he masked it with false bravado. In that one moment though, Felix's humanity kicked in and he sighed, throwing the rock and having it thump against a tree. Something fell from the tree, but he paid it no mind. Rosalie's words were running through his head. _'Don't do anything you'll regret.' _He wasn't like Paul. He couldn't kill the boy and not feel bad about it. So he punched Paul once more in the stomach for good measure, then got up and glared at the boy still on the ground.

"This is your last chance. Leave us alone!" Felix turned his back on Paul and began to walk away.

Paul looked up at Felix and leered at the retreating teen. "Can't finish the job? I knew you didn't have the guts!"

Felix swirled around with a witty retort when he spotted_ it_ curled up less than a foot away, studying Felix. Memories began flooding back to him of that night it he sent in the woods with Jacob and that snake curled up at his feet. All night he fretted about the snake possibly ending his life. And here was an even bigger one. Snakes. His kryptonite. Felix backed away slowly so as not to draw the attention of serpent. But the snake didn't seem to take even notice of Felix. All of its attention was on Paul who was oblivious to the danger.

"Go! Run!" Paul was slowly getting to his feet and the snake was entranced with his movements. "I'm still going to get you and your cripple girlfriend!"

Felix turned away just as the snake struck Paul and his pained shriek pierced the air.

~S.O.S~

"What is taking them so long?" Bella wondered aloud while Alice and Jasper threw in the last of their sticks to the blazing fire. The boat, while slow moving, looked like it would arrive at the island before the day was over. They continued to keep the fire going because they felt that if they let it die, the boat would magically disappear.

It had been almost two hours since they had informed Edward of the boat and it was beginning to nag at Bella's conscious because she yearned to see Jacob whom she hadn't seen all morning. "I'm thinking of heading back to the camp to see what's keeping everyone. Alice, will you come with me?"

Alice nodded in affirmance before kissing Jasper quickly. "Jazz, help Quil. We'll be back."

Bella and Alice took off through the forest, hurrying to the campsite to find out why everyone hadn't made it to the beach yet.

~S.O.S~

Edward shook Lauren and the dazed girl woke up with a goofy grin on her face. "Hi Edward." She tried to crawl out of the cave only to hiss in pain when she accidentally bumped her shoulder that was bandaged up because of her missing arm. "I hurt." She whimpered.

"I know." Edward sighed then helped her out of the cave and took her to sit by Angela who was reading the last book she had managed to save from the move. "Hey Angela, you don't mind some company right? I want to check over Emmett, but I don't want Lauren to have to see the gory details."

Angela glanced up at Edward and smiled lightly. "Sure. I don't mind."

As Edward was returning to his patient, Rosalie, Alec, Embry and Leah came rushing out of the woods, dragging Jacob behind them. The laid him gently down near Edward who stared wide-eyed at the boy.

"We came…as soon…as we…could!" Rosalie huffed taking a moment to catch her breath. "Paul threw a knife…at Jacob. You…have to…help him."

Edward walked away from the fallen boy who had taken from him, something he so desperately wanted but could never have. "I can't help him." Edward made his way over to Emmett while the others exchanged confused glances.

"Why won't you help him?" Leah tromped over to Edward and prodded him callously in the back of his head. "You'd better have a good reason!"

Embry joined her and prevented her from hurting the teen because she was livid. "It's okay Lee-lee. I'm sure he has a good reason. Right?"

Edward glared at Embry. "Bella."

"What about her?" Embry asked in confusion.

Rosalie pushed the pair out of the way then slapped Edward with so much force that his whole head erupted in a screaming reddened color. "Don't you _dare _let that boy _die_ because you were _rejected by a girl!_ That is the most _selfish_ thing you have _ever_ done. And if he _dies_, it will be because of _you_!" Rosalie restrained herself from hitting him again. "Can you live with yourself if he dies?" Rosalie pointed to Jacob who lied motionless on the ground, face down in the dirt.

"There you guys are!" Bella and Alice made it to the campsite with huge smiles on their faces. "We have to go—JACOB!" Bella's eyes had been roving over everyone while she was talking, searching for Jacob, whom she didn't notice at first. Sliding on her knees when she reached him, Bella tentatively reached out to pluck the knife from Jacob's back when her hand was swatted away by Alec.

"Stop. We don't know if taking it out will only make it worse." He told her despondently.

"What happened?" she asked as her eyes welled with tears.

"Paul threw it at him." Alec replied quietly.

"But why?" she cried. "What's going on?"

No one had the heart to tell her the truth so they cast their eyes away from the girl who sobbing over Jacob's body.

"Edward!" Bella hurried to Edward's side and crouched so they were eye to eye. "Help him. Please." She begged. "Please!"

Edward wiped away a tear that had welled in the corner of her eye before leaving his hand to cup her swollen cheek. "Don't cry Bella." He whispered. "Please don't cry." He looked into her heartbroken eyes and sighed in resignation before kissing her tenderly on her forehead. "Just for you Bella, I'll try to save him."

Bella sniffed and wiped her eyes furiously. "Thank you."

Edward knew there wasn't much time and hurriedly checked over Jacob's wound. With the right medical instruments, Jacob could make it. But they were trapped on an island with nothing. Edward looked at the teens surrounding him. "I can't do anything for him. But he's not dead. We need to get him to the beach. The boat is bound to have a doctor who can save him."

"Boat?" Rosalie asked in confusion.

"What boat?" Felix asked from behind Leah.

"Have we finally been rescued?" Embry asked in astonishment.

Edward nodded curtly. "Yes. Bella, Alice, Jasper and Quil said that one is approaching the beach right now. We need to get him there as soon as possible." Edward looked from Jacob to Emmett. "We need to get both of them to the beach. Let's divide into two groups and head out."

Rosalie, Edward and Alec decided to help get Emmett to the beach while Bella, Alice, Leah and Embry tackled the business of getting Jacob to the beach. Felix was carrying Angela so he wasn't much help to either groups. It took everyone a long time, and they stumbled often. But eventually everyone made it to the beach only to find the boat anchored close to the island, and smaller speedboats were pushing their way to the shore. There were three speedboats that finally made their way to the island and when they finally parked, two of the drivers stayed in the boats while one hopped off and walked tentatively over to the teens.

The man was tall and pale with long black hair and a dark robe. "I am Aro." He spoke slowly. "Are you natives of this island? Do you understand what I am saying?"

Rosalie stepped towards the man and threw her arms around him. "Save us! We've been stuck on this island for so long!"

Aro, startled by the hug, tried to pull Rosalie away from him. "I can tell. You smell horrible. Wait…stuck on this island?" he asked bewildered.

"Yes! We were on a field trip when a storm destroyed out boat." Edward told him, coming up beside Rosalie.

Aro slapped his hand across his mouth and gaped at all the teens. After taking a moment to compose himself, he rushed over to the other two speedboats. "It's them! Those kids that went missing three months ago!"

The time frame had all of the teens shocked. Had they really been on the island for three months?

Aro turned back to the teens and waved them towards the boats. "Get on the boat!" The teens hurried aboard and were offered assistance with Emmett, Jacob and Angela. Soon the boats were racing to get to the main boat that they found out was a cruise ship and was on its way back to the Bahamas which were the teens original destination. While they were on the speedboats, Aro called the main boat and alerted the Captain to its passengers and how all, not some, needed to be looked over by doctors. So once they reached the large cruise ships, the onboard doctors immediately rushed all of the teens into the ship's infirmary.

Jacob, Emmett and Lauren took priority as they were the ones who had open wounds. Angela and Quil were second on the priority list as they both had issues with walking. Since Leah had been hit over the head, they had to give her a CAT scan so she was taken to a different wing, along with Rosalie, Edward, Bella, Felix, Alice, Alec, Jasper and Embry.

The doctors spent the whole trip examining the teens and by the time they reached the Bahamas, they were immediately transported to a plane that would take them to the best hospital in Washington, their home state.

The first group finished with their medical examination happened to be Rosalie, Edward, Alice and Alec. Of all their peers, they were the ones who survived the experience with the least amount of injures. Just a few cuts and scrapes which the doctors patched up and gave them a clean bill of health. Granted, every one of the teens had lost a third or more of their body weight.

While at the hospital, none of the teens were given proper baths, so they're parents were called and while they were waiting for them to arrive, they were sent to the cafeteria where they were given their first real meal in months.

"I never thought I would be excited to eat a hospital burger." Alice bit into her burger and almost moaned in happiness.

Edward laughed at his sister but tore into his own food with the same vigor. "How are the others doing do you think?" Rosalie asked the group, guzzling down some cold water.

Alec looked up at Rosalie, a cracker poking out of his mouth. "We could go check on them." The cracker fell from his mouth as they all rose from their chairs and began walking back to the hospital wing they knew some of their peers to be.

"Is that Jasper?" Alec asked once they'd passed a room that had the door open.

Alice backtracked and was surprised to find her boyfriend lying unconscious on a hospital bed with a couple monitors hooked up to him. A doctor and two nurses were in the room conversing.

"He's stabilizing quite well, but unfortunately the scars will remain. Keep him on the antibiotics for the next couple of days and we'll see if we can keep the disease from spreading." The doctor jotted down a few notes in on his clipboard before walking over to the second patient in the room. "I'm quite surprised this one is still alive. Another couple of weeks and her body would've shut down. Similar to him," the doctor pointed to Jasper, "the disease has spread throughout her body and since we had to reopen her wounds in order to clean them properly, she will also be heavily scarred. But the antibiotics seem to be working for her. So keep her monitored. She will need to stay here longer though because her disease had almost finished running its course." The doctor finished talking to the nurses then exited the room.

Alice and the others hesitantly walked inside and were surprised to find Bella sharing a room with Jasper. The girl they had been talking about was her and Bella was also unconscious.

"Jasper." Alice felt her eyes tear up when she saw the boy in on the hospital bed. She walked to his side and reached out to hold his hand.

When the nurses found the room crowding with teenagers, they ushered them out of the room. "I'm sorry, but we have to give them sponge baths…" the nurse sniffed at the group and shuddered. "And from the looks of it, you need to take a bath as well." She closed the door on them, and Edward scowled.

"Rude!" He looked at Alice who was trying hard not to cry and hugged his sister. "It's okay Alice. He's in a proper hospital and he'll be fine. Along with Bella."

Alice nodded that she understood and they continues down the hall to find more of their peers. The next pair they ran into was Angela and Quil. Both of whom had their legs raised in the air by a machine and was fully casted. Angela had both her legs this way, while Quil only had one of his legs this way. Both also happened to be conscious and no doctors or nurses were in the room, so the teens entered without caution.

"Hey guys!" Quil greeted them happily. "They're going to give us baths soon." He told them happily. "It's been too long. Afterward, is dinnertime and let me tell you, my stomach is ready." He winked at the group who laughed lightly.

"So what's the deal with the legs?" Alec asked him.

Quil shrugged. "I wasn't really paying attention. Ask Angela."

Angela cocked a brow at Quil. "He's been absorbed with that TV show the whole time." She gestured to the TV hanging up on the wall that was showing the latest reality show. "For me, they said that some of the nerves had been damaged by a force crushing against it. No broken bones, luckily. Just damaged nerves. They said they don't know if I'll ever recover use of them, but I think I will. I'll be starting rehab next week. But until then, I'll be riding in a wheelchair." Alice walked over to her friend and gave her a hug.

"I think you'll be fine." She smiled at her friend then nodded towards Quil. "What about him?"

"His foot was healing but it was a little crooked so they had to re-break it and set it properly. Oh! Edward!" Angela directed her attention to the brooding teen. "They said that what you did was really good. If Quil's foot had stayed the way it was before you did what you did, then he wouldn't have been able to regain function of it and they would've just amputated it. So, good job."

Edward was surprised to hear the news but a slight upturn of his lips had him giving Angela a small smile. "I'm glad I was able to help." He replied quietly.

"Have you seen anyone else? How is everyone else doing?" Angela asked them expectantly.

"Bella and Jasper are the only other people we've run into. They're hooked up to a lot of machines and we weren't really allowed to see them."

Angela frowned. "That doesn't sound good, but don't worry too much. I'm sure they'll be fine."

Alice sighed but shrugged. "I hope so."

Angela reached out and squeezed Alice's hand. "Don't worry too much. I know for a fact that Leah is a few doors down. I heard her screaming at some of the doctors. Go see how she's doing and let me know later."

"Alright." Alice and the group walked towards the door as a couple nurses entered. "Time for a bath! Who wants to go first?"

The group continued down the hall and there were only three rooms left. Two doors were closed and one was open. They peeked into the open room and found Felix, Embry and Leah inside. Felix had a bed next to the window while Embry's was closest to the door and Leah was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"They barely scanned my head when they started throwing around crazy doctor terms!" Leah was complaining. "Now I'm stuck in this stupid neck brace and they had the nerve to wrap my head with this stupid gauze." Leah pouted at Embry. "I look like an idiot."

Embry laughed at his Leah's complaints. "Leah, you could be hooked up in casts from head to toe and you would still not look like an idiot, but instead be the most beautiful girl in the world to me."

Leah blushed heavily and waved away the compliment as she saw her fellow peers enter the room. "How come y'all are allowed to roam freely? I had to practically sneak in here!"

Alice laughed and pointed to Leah's neck and head. "Maybe because we aren't wearing that." she teased lightly.

Leah huffed in annoyance. "Whatever. I heard the nurses say they called our parents. Apparently we're famous."

"Famous?" Rosalie inquired. "How are we famous?"

"We were lost at sea. The media really milked this. They had the whole state and half of America trying to find us. I found out that they gave up after the first month because they figured we had died at sea. They were going to hold a memorial service but many of our parents didn't want to give up hope until bodies were found so they canceled it. Now that we've been found, the local news stations have surrounded the hospital. They want to interview us but they can't enter the hospital because of some law. That's why it's taking our parents so long to get here." Leah finished with a smirk. "We're famous."

"Wow." Rosalie seemed pleased with what was going. "I wonder how they'll feel when they find out that about half of us survived."

Leah frowned. "And our numbers keep dwindling. Someone died on the plane ride dropping our number down to thirteen."

Everyone immediately tensed. "Who died?" Alice asked in alarmed.

**A/N: Sorry everyone! This chapter was supposed to be out a couple days ago, but when I finished it, my laptop decided to convert the whole thing into weird squares. So I had to re-write it. I think this chapter is better than the previous though. And it's much longer…and you guys know how I enjoy leaving you with cliff hangers. Stay tuned for more!**


	49. Swivet

Chapter 48  
><em>Swivet- [swiv-it] A state of nervous excitement, haste, or anxiety; flutter<em>

A nurse entered the room and sighed a breath of relief. "Oh thank goodness all of you are here. We have been looking for you. A room has been prepared for you all. We have run into some complications with your," the nurse paused and pushed her glasses up because they were slipping on her nose. "Exit. So Rosalie and Alice, a room for you has been prepared, along with a fresh pair of hospital gowns. You will be rooming with Leah who shouldn't even be in here." The skittish nurse glanced up at Leah who merely rolled her eyes and waved away the nurse. "Edward and Alec's room is right next to the girls."

"What's going on?" Rosalie asked the nervous nurse.

"It's complicated." The nurse pointed to Leah. "If you would be so kind as to show them their room, I have to ask Embry and Felix more questions. So please leave." The nurse tried to sound authoritative but only came off as whiny.

Leah decided not to cause much trouble, and escorted everyone out of the room and into her own. "This is weird. It must be the reporters that's making us stay here longer than normal." Leah sat on her bed while Rosalie and Alice sat beside her. The boys hovered in the doorway.

"What should we do?" Alice asked aloud.

No one answered at first, and then Rosalie shrugged. "Get cleaned up!"

~S.O.S~

"Is Jasper still responding to the antibiotics?" the doctor asked the nurse. "He's been on it for the last eight hours, and I want to make sure everything is still going as planned."

The doctor and one of the nurses who were in the room earlier when Alice and the others had dropped by, were currently checking on their patients. Night had arrived and the doctor was just about to hang up his stethoscope for the night, but wanted to check on his patients before turning them over to the night nurses on duty.

"He is doing very well. His body has yet to reject the medicine and we have high hopes for him." She slowly walked over to where Bella rested. "Unfortunately though, Isabella Swan isn't doing as well. Her body began rejecting the medicine a few hours back, and now she's in critical condition. We're going to mover her to the O.R soon. A specialist doctor has been flown in."

The doctor frowned as he set down Bella's clipboard. "It's unfortunate her body is resisting the medicine." The nurse nodded in agreement before following the doctor out of the room.

"I heard one of them died on the plane." The nurse looked at the doctor solemnly. "Who was it?"

The doctor sighed. "Jacob Black. He just didn't make it."

The nurse sighed. "It's always such a shame when a person dies so young."

"It is indeed a tragedy."

~S.O.S~

_Bella sat down on the beach with her back against a palm tree. The air was cool even though the sun was blazing high in the sky. A soft, gentle breeze flittered around her and she basked in the comfort she found settling around her. Looking across at the beach a few feet in front of her, she ran a hand through her hair and tucked it behind her ear, away from her face. Wiggling her toes, a brief flicker of a smile skittered across her face as the warm sand sprinkled from her feet._

"_Bella? Why are you here?" a confused voice inquired from behind her._

_Bella glanced up and spotted Mike peeking at her from behind the tree. A goofy grin adorned his face as he made his way around and plopped down beside her. _

"_Mike? I thought you were dead." Bella gaped as the boy waved away her concerns. _

"_I am dead. But that's not important. What is important, is why you're here. Bella, you have to live." Mike situated his arm around her and she rested her head against him softly. "I saved you and Alice remember? You can't let my death be in vain."_

_Bella tried not to cry as she remembered Mike's heroic sacrifice. "I know, and thank you so much for that." Bella's shoulders sagged and she exhaled heavily. "I'm just so tired ya know?"_

_Mike laughed lightly. "I know. But you can't let the tiredness win. I don't think you want to stay here with us Bella." _

"_Us?" Bella questioned confused._

_Mike gestured towards the beach. "Don't pretend you didn't see them playing and having fun. They didn't know what to say to you, so they sent me. Hoping I could either convince you to join our fun on the beach, or get you to leave."_

_Bella returned her attention to the beach and saw Katie run into Austin's awaiting arms. The momentum caused the boy to stumble backwards into Tyler who was throwing a football at Eric. Eric missed and the ball ended up hitting Ben in the back of his head. Jared spotted the ball, picked it up and threw it back at Tyler who caught it before winking at Jessica who was standing next to Jane on the beach. Mr. Banner chastised Tyler who laughed it off and continued to play. She also noticed that Paul was looming a little far away, hiding half in the shadows, but staring at the group._

"_Why is Paul outcasted?" Bella asked curiously. _

_Mike's demeanor changed and he pursed his lips. "Paul has to make peace with some inner demons…" he replied grimly. "But Bella, I don't want to make the choice for you. If you want to join us on the beach, I won't blame you." Mike stood up and offered his hand. "You can leave, or join us. What's it going to be?"_

_Bella looked at all of the people on the beach. They did look like they were having a great time. She was tired of all the troubles of the past and just wanted to relax and have fun. With that in mind, she accepted Mike's hand and the boy smiled goofily._

~S.O.S~

Rosalie woke up and at first she didn't realize where she was. Where was the hard cave ground and earthy smells? The sound of endless water streaming from the waterfall was absent and in its place was the noise of people walking up and down the hall outside of her room. Bleach could faintly be smelled as the floors were cleaned with them daily. Rosalie could hear the light snores from her sleeping roommates and made sure to keep quiet as she got up off the soft bed and headed to the door. Passing a clock told her it was early morning, ten minutes until seven. She cracked the door open and found many nurses and doctors hurrying to and fro. Some seemed in a panic and one was shouting into his phone.

"You called the wrong parents!" a Doctor who looked to be in his mid-forties, was screaming into a phone. "It wasn't even him!" The Doctor paused in his anger as the person on the other end spoke for a while, and then he angrily hung his phone up. "Idiot!" He stormed off and Rosalie took a moment to absorb this information. Yesterday Leah had told them she didn't know who died, just that someone had. She knew that Emmett had been in critical condition. So she had no clue if the person who had died was him. Anxiety began to overtake her and she had to take a moment to steady her breathing.

Creeping out into the hallway, Rosalie began to search for her lover but had no clue what room he would even be in if he were still alive. She decided to take a chance and just ask the man sitting behind the desk down the hall.

"Good morning." Rosalie turned on the charm and gave a half wave to the sleepy man who quickly looked her up and down.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?" he asked, returning the smile with a dazzling one of his own.

Rosalie shrugged, he didn't seem familiar to her. "Maybe you've seen me on TV or something." She joked. "I was wondering, could you tell me the room of my boy-brother? Emmett Cullen." she caught the slip and hoped the guy wouldn't notice.

He didn't seem to as he quickly typed in the name on his computer. "He's on the 6th floor, beautiful. Room 610. It's not visiting hours, but for you," he winked and Rosalie repressed an eye roll. All she cared about was the fact that Emmett was in fact alive. If the nurse had told her that Emmett had died, Rosalie would have broken down right there from heartbreak. "I'll give you a pass key and you can go up the back way."

"Thank you." Rosalie took the pass key that was actually a card, and the male nurse blew her kiss before she walked away to find her boyfriend.

Since it was early morning, there weren't many people loitering the halls and it didn't take her long to find Emmett's room. She entered quickly and found him hooked up to more machines than Jasper and Bella. Not only was he hooked up to many machines and IV drips, but he was in a half body cast that covered some of his head, and his entire torso. His room was dark, so she opened the shades and let the early morning sun filter inside. Emmett didn't stir and she wondered if this was because he was being sedated, or if his body had given up and they were keeping him alive with the machines. She walked over to his bed and sat on a chair that was seated right next to his bed. Reaching out, she sought out his hand and quickly slipped her fingers through his.

"Hey Em." She felt her eyes become teary and tried to remain calm. "We're finally off that island. Real food…or hospital food was given to us. It tasted so good. You should wake up so that you can finally get that burger I know you want to eat." She paused and smiled fondly at her boyfriend. "I remember when we first crashed on the island. After the first couple of days you said all you wanted was a burger. Now's your chance." She squeezed his hand softly. "All you need to do is wake up." Rosalie sat in that seat for a long time waiting for Emmett to wake up. But he didn't and soon she began to drift to sleep herself missing the hand squeeze back.

~S.O.S~

Jacob's eyes fluttered open and two things registered in his mind first. One, he was not on the island anymore and two, Bella was not beside him. Realizing he was in a hospital wasn't hard to figure out because of the hospital-y smell, and the beeping noise coming from the heart monitor he was hooked up to. He lied there for a while until someone entered his room. Surprise at the man who entered his room was an understatement. If he hadn't been strapped down to numerous devices, he would have leapt up out of the bed and hugged the man he hadn't seen in almost three months.

"Dad?"

Billie wheeled himself up to the bed and took his son's hand. "Jacob." There were happy tears falling down his tanned cheeks. "Son. It's been too long."

Jacob laughed in relief. "It has indeed. How are you?"

Billie waved away the question. "How are _you_? What happened?"

Jacob thought back to the accident. "Dad, I know I can tell you anything. But do you promise not to tell anyone if I tell you? I don't know if the others want our full story told to the media. Some things will be too hard to talk about."

Billie nodded in agreement. "Some of us parents have been talking. We agree that we don't want to make you all a spectacle of yourselves. You have been through enough. We just want this to all be over, our children to come home." Billie smiled at his son. "I take it it's a long story?"

Jacob nodded and began his retelling of the accident. "So at first everything was fine and normal. Then this storm came…"

~S.O.S~

"Jasper! You're awake!" Alice almost jumped on top of the boy relaxing in his bed. In fact, she would have made the jump had Leah not held her back.

"Alice." Jasper sat up more in bed, then pushed back the covers to reveal a torso covered in gauze. He placed his feet on the floor and began to walk towards Alice, but had to drag an IV drip that was connected to him. It rolled along beside him noiselessly and soon he was standing in front of his girlfriend who immediately threw her arms around him, but carefully so as not to accidentally pull out the IV.

"Oh Jasper. It is so wonderful to see you awake." She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed him fervently.

Jasper caressed the side of her cheek and wished to deepen the kiss but Leah cleared her throat noisily. "I'm still here." She grumbled. "And I don't want to see that crap. We have to get going anyway."

Alice pulled back and addressed the look of confusion on Jasper's face. "The press won't leave, this is a big scoop for Washington. So they asked for all of us that are able, to go down and talk to them so they can leave. But first we're all heading down to the cafeteria for some food." Alice held out her hand to the boy. "Let's go."

Once the trio had made it to the cafeteria, they found Rosalie, Edward and Alec already sitting at a table that had an array of food on the surface. "Is that chips?" Leah asked in excitement.

"Sure is." Alec tossed her a bag and she caught it mid-air before opening it and proceeded with stuffing her face.

"I see someone is hungry." Embry teased, appearing behind Leah.

She looked up and grinned before stuffing more chips into her mouth. "Eating processed foods have never tasted better."

Embry laughed as he took a seat next to Leah. It was hard sometimes for him to eat because his cheeks and most of his face was covered in gauze and medical tape. After Embry arrived, Angela, Quil and Felix wheeled themselves up to the table. None of them could or were allowed in Felix's case, to use their feet.

For the first fifteen minutes, everyone chattered amicably while stuffing their stomachs with the food that was unlike the hospital food. They later found out the food was a bribe offer from the media in the hopes they would talk about their experiences.

"Okay so as we can see, some of us are missing." Rosalie decided to start getting down to business.

"Where is Emmett, Jacob Bella and Leah" Angela asked concerned. "Are they alright?"

"Leah…died." Alice told her. "I found out from some chatty doctors. There was actually a screw up. They thought it was Jacob had died and called in his dad to ID the body, only to find it was Lauren who had died. So now her body has been taken to the morgue. I feel sorry for her family because they called and told them she was alive when she wasn't."

Everyone held a moment of silence for Lauren, then moved on to their other classmates.

"Emmett is still unconscious. And I heard Bella was too." Rosalie told the group.

"Does anyone know how Jacob is doing?" Alice asked. No one responded and Alice made a mental note to check on her friend later. "Well, what are we going to say to the press? They're going to want the full story. Should we give every detail?"

Leah shook his head. "Some crazy things happened to us on that island. I don't really want to talk about how some of our peers where eaten by animals…and Paul." A collective shudder went through the group at the mention of Paul. They had all been filled in on the secret behind his diet.

"So what should we say?" Quil finally asked.

~S.O.S~

Rosalie stood before the press with her peers alongside her. She had been nominated the spokesperson and felt their support beside her. "I know you have a lot of questions, but we don't want to have to spend hours answering questions. So you may ask one question. One question and that's it."

Everyone in the crowd began throwing out questions at the teenagers but none were coherent because so many of them were talking at once, and over each other. There must have been at least 30 people with microphones and cameras trying to get their attention. When they realized that not only were their questions not being answered, no one was making sense, they quieted down. A spokeswoman for the local news channel took this opportunity and shouted her question. "What happened?"

Rosalie knew this would probably be asked and had already partially memorized what she was going to say. "We were on the boat when this storm came. I guess the storm broke up the boat because the next thing we know, we're in the ocean and floating towards the ocean." It was here in her speech that she paused as she remembered what they had discussed. "Once we reached the island, it took a couple days but we eventually all met up. Or at least, everyone who had made it to the island, met up. We later learned that almost half of us drowned at sea, including our teacher and the Captain of the ship. For many weeks we just tried to stay alive. We ate fruits and even found a natural water source on the island. But sometimes we got hurt, a couple of us were attacked by animals and that's why they aren't standing down here with us. Finally we were rescued and hopefully we can put this experience behind us." The press grew excited from Rosalie's speech and threw more questions at her. "No further questions." She then turned and headed back inside the hospital with her peers beside her.

"Now let's go find out how the others are doing." Edward suggested, even though the only person he cared about was Bella.

~S.O.S~

_Bella was led to the group who welcomed her graciously. "Bella, I'm sorry for any time I was mean to you back when I was alive." Jessica hugged her briefly before handing her a small rock. "Isn't this cute? Looks kind of like J—"_

"_Bella, how's my brother?" Jane interrupted. "It feels so weird to be here without him."_

"_He took your death hard. But he's doing better." Bella told her honestly. _

_Jane smiled slightly. "That's good. I'm going to miss him."_

"_I know." Bella saw that Jane needed a hug, so she comforted the girl with one._

"_It's a good thing you're not leaving anyone behind." Jane sighed and Bella nodded in agreement. "True."_

~S.O.S~

Bella's body breathed its last breath before ceasing in its movement. Her heart flat-lined and the monitor began to beep a single note that alerted the doctors in the area. They immediately rushed into the room to try and save the young girl.

**A/N: O.R means Operating Room btw c: I guess now that Jacob is safe...Bella is not! :O**


	50. Roger

Chapter 49  
><em>Roger- [ROJ-er] all right; O.K.<em>

"—and then I remember feeling something in my back. After that it's all a blank. I think I passed out or something. It's not hard to figure out we were somehow saved." Jacob smiled at his father who during the story, began to snack on some carrots. "Do you know all the details for how I got here?"

Billy shook his head and popped the last carrot into his mouth. "No, they just told me you were…dead." He whispered the last word and almost choked on his carrot. Jacob leaned over and patted his dad's back.

"I guess if you're going to choke, it's best to do it in a hospital." He joked after his father had gathered his bearings and caught his breath.

Billy couldn't help but crack a smile at his son. His _alive_ son. He couldn't be more thrilled and wanted to make the most of the day. "So you all really survived on an deserted island?"

Jacob cocked his head to the side. "We did." He replied grimly. "It was really hard sometimes. A lot of people died dad." Jacob closed his eyes as the memories overtook him.

Billy saw the look of pain sweep over Jacob's face and pat him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Jake. One day, hopefully soon, this will all be a distant memory." When Jacob opened his eyes, Billy threw him a reassuring smile. "And thank you for telling me the truth. I understand why you kids don't want the media to know everything. It's best to just stick to the story."

"Yeah. It feels so good to not be on the island, dad. You have no idea." Jacob stretched and pain flared in his back. "I can't wait until I'm all healed. I will not miss this pain."

A nurse entered the room and smiled when she saw Jacob. "I'm glad to see you're up and about. Now we just need to nurse back to health the rest of your group…" The nurse's voice trailed off and Jacob's eyes widened in surprise.

"How's Bella?"

~S.O.S~

_Bella tried to focus on what Mike was saying, but her eyes kept drifting over to Austin and Katie. The couple were rolling around in the sand, laughing and having such a great time. _

"Bring in the defibrillator!" The male doctor rushed to Bella's side and placed his hands on top of her heart. "We're losing her!" The male doctor began to pump Bella's chest while two of the nurses prepped the defibrillator.

"_You okay?" Mike asked her with a knowing smile. _

_Bella side-glanced a look at Mike and frowned. "They just remind me of…someone."_

"_Who?" Mike asked nonchalantly. _

"Defibrillator ready!" The nurses hurried over and handed the doctor the two paddles.

"_Does it matter?" Bella glanced down at her feet and wiggled her toes in the sand. _

_Mike twirled a strand of her hair. "You can think about Jacob here."_

"CLEAR!" The doctor pressed the paddles connecting to the defibrillator into Bella's body, in the right position, and felt her whole body jump up reflexively as the electricity flowed into her heart.

_Bella felt her eyes tear up and suddenly her whole world shuddered and for a split second, she could hear people calling out medical terms. _

"_But instead of thinking about him, wouldn't you rather be with him?" Mike wrapped his arms around the crying girl quickly. "Bella, you have to go now. But I want you to know, it was very nice to see you one last time. You can come back here anytime, but not too soon okay?"_

"Charging it up!" The doctor rubbed the pads together. "CLEAR!"

_Bella wiped away her tears and nodded as Mike released her. "Thanks again for saving me Mike."_

"_What are friends for?" Mike winked at her just as her body shivered again, but this time, she was wrenched from the beach and brought to reality._

"We've got a pulse!" one of the nurses shouted just as the doctor was charging up the defibrillator. He then hung up the paddles and turned off the machine.

Glancing up at the heart monitor, he smiled faintly as the lines dipped up and down. "Isabella Swan. Can you hear me?" he softly tapped her cheek as her eyes snapped open and looked around the room in a daze. Her head lolled to the side and she blinked in confusion.

"Where…am…I?" she dry-coughed and one of the nurses passed her a cup of room-temperature water.

"Isabella Swan, you're at the hospital. We're going to get you patched up. For now, you must rest. Your body is fighting infections."

Bella's eyes lolled to the side and out the window that gave her a view of the city. The city she hadn't seen in months. "We're saved." She smiled lazily and closed her eyes. "How is everyone else?"

The nurse shrugged. "I'm only assigned to you and him."

Bella turned her attention to Jasper who was awake and half waved at her. "You've returned to the land of the living I see."

"I have. How is…everyone?"

"I heard from Alice earlier that Lauren died." He frowned and watched the doctor and nurse leave the room. "But I think everyone else is okay."

"Jacob…?" her eyes glossed over as she recalled the knife lodged in his back.

Jasper shrugged. "I haven't really heard anything about him so I don't know if he's okay or not." Jasper glanced at the door. "Well I take it he's fine." He gestured to the door and Bella watched Jacob enter the room via a wheel chair and hooked up to a rolling IV drip.

"Jacob!" Bella immediately perked up and sat up straighter. The boy wheeled himself to her bedside after throwing a nod of acknowledgment to Jasper. "Jacob." She murmured and reached out her hand to clasp their fingers together. "I'm so happy…you're okay." She took another sip of water then set the empty cup on her bed.

"Me too." Jacob smiled brightly, filling Bella with a joy that could only be described as pure adoration. "No more forging for fruits. We can just raid our fridge! I can't wait to sleep in a bed. It's probably what I've missed most about being trapped there." Jacob paused and ran his thumb over Bella's fingers. "After we get out of here, I can take you on a real date."

Bella looked away from Jacob as her eyes glossed over. She held in her emotions of jubilation and returned her gaze to the boy who was still beaming at her. "It'll be lovely to go on a date with you."

"So…not that this isn't 'cute' and all, but I'm still here guys." Jasper grumbled, turning up the volume on the TV. "Get a room."

Bella giggled and Jacob wheeled his chair closer to her so that he could lean up and give her a peck on the cheek. "Now you hurry up and get better so that we can get out of this place."

"I could say the same for you."

"Seriously, gag me." Jasper feigned dying and Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Fine fine. I'll leave. But I'll be back." After briefly impersonating the Terminator, he kissed Bella's knuckles then wheeled himself out of the room, IV drip following languidly beside him.

"Let's get some reinforcements down here guys! We need to scatter the press and get those kids home!" Charlie Swan commanded to his units via the radio walkie-talkie in his car. He'd gotten word of the survivors a couple days ago, but the place was so crowded by the media that he hadn't been able to get inside and see his daughter who he found out was in fact alive and recovering.

The police cars moved in quickly to the lot of the hospital. Charlie and his fellow colleagues exited their vehicles and quickly crowded around the entrance of the hospital. "You are in a direct violation of the law!" Charlie growled at the people through a blow horn. "I'm going to ask you nicely to evacuate the premises or you will be thrown in jail."

Many outrage cries followed Charlie's announcement. "You can't do that! Freedom of the press!"

Charlie suppressed a grin and spoke again. "That may be true, but you are blocking the emergency entrance of the ambulances, and you're in the fire zone. You have two minutes to clear the premises!"

The media protested but got into their vans and parked farther away from the hospital. Once they were out of the way, Charlie faced his crew and smiled. "They'll be gone before we come out." He told them while leading the way inside.

"What makes you say that?" one of the police officers asked.

"When you park down there, you have to pay and the toll is more expensive on the street than in the garage. They'll be gone within the hour."

Jasper looked away from the TV and glanced at Bella who was still hooked up to numerous IV's, and staring out of the window passively. "I'm going to go for a walk." He told her while sliding out of bed and grabbing his own IV drip that had wheels and began to walk out of the room in search of Alice. As he was exiting, Edward entered the room and crossed Bella's line of sight.

"Hey Bella." He greeted softly. "How are you feeling?"

Bella shrugged. "I guess I feel better than I did on that island." She paused and really looked at the boy in front of her. "Thank you. I mean that sincerely. What you did for me on the island, you saved my life."

Edward's eyes softened and he returned her thanks with a quirky smile. He took a seat on a chair by her bed and tentatively grabbed one of her hands. "It was my pleasure Bella. Thank you for finding me. If I hadn't run into you, I would've been stuck out there all alone."

Bella shook her head in disagreement. "I doubt that. I think you would've found us eventually."

"I don't know. I'm happy you fell into my life. Literally."

Bella winced as she recalled falling down that hill. She really abused herself on the island and it was astonishing that her battered body was still thriving vivaciously. "When are you going home?"

Edward glanced at the clock. "Soon actually. My dad is on the way to pick me and Alice up. I just wanted to see you before we left. Bella, I know you're with Jacob but I think I lo—

Bella held up a finger to his lips and stopped him from finishing his sentence. "Listen Edward, what happened to us on that island was absolutely awful. Things happened there that should never have happened at all. Our emotions ran wild and I think what you feel for me is just reverence because I led you away from isolation. I'm really sorry but I only have platonic feelings for you." She removed her hand from his and continued to stare out the window. Edward took the rejection in stride and quickly exited the room.

Charlie saw Edward Cullen walking down the hall, head hung low and stopped the boy in his tracks. "Hey, cheer up boy. You've been saved. Don't be sullen, Cullen." Charlie smiled at his on joke and pat the boy on the back. "By the way, your parents and sister are waiting for you in the lobby."

"Thanks." Edward told him then walked off.

Charlie knocked on Bella's door, then entered immediately after. "It's so good to see you Bells." He hurried to her side and gingerly hugged his daughter.

Bella hugged back ardently, never happier to see her father. "It's been a long time, Charlie. I'm glad to be back."

"You had a long and impromptu vacation." Charlie joked, pulling back and out of the hug. "I'm glad you're back Bells. It just hasn't been the same without you." Charlie took off his police hat and held it in front of him. "We searched for a long time for that boat. But we never found it. After the boat didn't reach the dock on the second day, authorities called and asked us if you had departed. We knew something was wrong…" Charlie trailed off and looked away briefly. "We never could find your boat. They gave up after three weeks and declared you all dead." His voice softened as it grew with emotion. "I always held on hope that you were still alive and look at you."

Bella smiled reassuringly at her father. "It takes a lot to kill us. No worries there." She smiled jokingly but in all actuality, she was serious. Her peers were tough and only the strongest survived.

"Well now, you rest up and maybe soon I can take you home." Charlie told her, ruffling her grimly hair.

"Can't wait."

Once the press had been forced to wait at the end of the lot, many of them dispersed and after two weeks, the last of the stragglers lost interest and weren't seen again. By this time, many of the students had been discharged or were being released soon. On the day Leah was discharged, she hugged Embry outside the hospital. "Call me and we'll see where this relationship takes us." she whispered in his ear, kissing his gauzed cheek quickly then hurrying to her folks that where honking at her. Embry watched Leah leave and a shy smile tugged at his lips. He was happy they had time now on their side to explore this new relationship.

A sudden nudge against the back of his legs had him turning around and seeing his friend in a wheelchair knocked the smile from his face. "Hey Jake. How are you?"

"I'd be better if you didn't look like I was crippled." Jacob scowled at his friend and nudged him with his wheelchair again. "I'll be fine. No permanent damage so don't give me that look. Even Bella is doing better. So no sad faces. Only happy ones. We're finally off that awful place."

Embry nodded in agreement, his earlier cheer returning. "My parents are coming by later to pick me up. It'll be so nice to finally go home."

"I can't argue there." Jacob sighed in relief. "To be honest, I thought we'd never see home again. So I heard today you could leave. When are your parents getting here?"

A car pulled into the lot and Embry's parents waved to him excitedly. "I guess now." Embry grinned. "As soon as I get signed out, I'm eating everything in our fridge."

Jacob laughed comically and patted his friend on the back. "As soon as I get out of this chair, I'm going for a nice run."

"How long are you supposed to stay in it?"

Jacob shrugged. "They want me to go easy for the next couple of weeks. But we'll see."

Embry's parents greeted Jacob, then bid him an adieu as they went to check out their son and take him home.

Exactly six weeks after they were rescued, Emmett and Bella, the two worse off, were finally able to go home. Both were told to be careful and given antibiotics they were to take daily for the next two weeks. But they were finally allowed to go home and both were happy.

Emmett hugged Bella and winced, some of his body was still tender and healing. He still had some of his body in a cast but that wasn't stopping him from going home. "Take care Bella." He waved as he got into Rosalie's car and they sped off.

Charlie arrived soon in his police car and opened the door for his daughter. "Jacob is waiting at home with some of the other survivors for a little, party in celebration." Charlie looked uncomfortable. "So are you ready to go home?"

Bella's eyes teared up at the thought but she nodded once in affirmation. "Yes Charlie. I'm ready to go home."

**A/N: Took a while because of work and school and losing my muse…but I finally got around to finishing the final chapter! The epilogue will be up soon. **


	51. Maudlin

Epilogue  
><em>Maudlin- [Mawd-lin] tearful or weakly emotional.<em>

One year had passed since the incident. One year had passed since they had been rescued. The students who had innocently taken a field trip to the Bahamas but instead of having fun on an island, they'd been marooned on another. The catastrophic events that unfolded on that island changed everyone. Some for the better, some for the worst. All of the students had secrets that they would never share, and a silent agreement had been made to not discuss it with outsiders.

A year had passed since everyone had seen each other. But since it was the anniversary of the event, most of the students wanted to hold a ceremony in remembrance of their fallen peers. The ceremony was held on the beach in a secluded spot so they wouldn't be disturbed. Someone had even brought refreshments, and many had brought flowers.

Forks was known for being a dismal city filled with rain for most days out of the year. But today, of all days, had sunny skies and it lifted the spirits of everyone on the beach. They had all gathered, barefoot, on the sand, allowing the gentle waves to wash over their feet. Arms were linked and everyone gazed upon the sea. A calmness settled on the survivors and a gentle breeze flowed through them. No one spoke for a long time. But when words were finally spoken, it was like a cold drink on a hot day; refreshing.

"Mike, I know you're in a better place." Bella allowed a small smile to settle upon her face. "I would like to thank you Mike. For saving me and Alice when we were in that hole. We will never forget your bravery." Bella unlinked her arms from Jacob and Alice who stood on either side of her, and plucked one white daisy from her hand and set it gently into the ocean. It followed the tide back into the ocean and floated along smoothly. Once Bella had re-linked her arms, someone else spoke.

Rosalie briefly shared a look with Emmett, then opened her mouth to make her peace. "Ben and Eric, you guys..." she paused, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." she nearly whispered. The blonde allowed a tear to trickle from her eye. "You may have died on that island, but you won't be forgotten. I hope you've found peace." She also followed Bella's actions and dropped two white daisies into the ocean in memory of the boys.

Alec took a step forward with a bouquet of flowers. "I lost my twin on that island." he spoke forlornly. "Jane, my other half." He looked down at the bouquet in his hand and held it close to his body. "I miss you everyday Jane. You didn't deserve to die there. I wish I could change time and save you." Alec began to shake, body wracked with emotion. "I will see you again one day, but until then, I will live for both of us." he allowed the ocean to accept the bouquet and everyone watched it catch the current and float away.

Jacob decided to speak next on the behalf of Katie and Austin. "Katie was the first person to die and it was before we made it to the island. Austin loved her so much he took his own life because of her. I believe in my heart that they are together and in peace." he took two daisies and tied the stems together before allowing the ocean to claim them.

"We were kind of friends," Quil began. "Jared and Tyler I mean. I didn't know them really well, but it sucks they didn't make it off the island. Rest in peace, guys." Quil tossed a couple daisies into the ocean and watched them float away.

"I didn't know Lauren and Jessica much." Angela's glasses were slipping down the bridge of her nose so she pushed them up. "But I do know they were friends." She looked down at her feet and sighed. "Sometimes people change, and in such a crazy circumstance as the island put us all in...sometimes we do things we wouldn't normally do-

"Like Paul." Felix interjected. Suddenly a dark aura settled over the group. "I have spent a long time being angry at Paul. He did some things on that island that will haunt many of us for a long time." Felix shuddered and gripped Angela's hand tighter. "But to hold on to such anger won't change anything and will only make me bitter. So Paul, if you're listening," Felix took a step forward and held a single white daisy in the air. "I forgive you and I hope you find peace." Felix dropped the daisy into the ocean but instead of it floating away like the others, it caught on something and began to sink. Everyone watched for a while before turning away.

Angela looked down at her hands and realized that she was still holding two daisies and released them into the ocean in honor of Lauren and Jessica. While the current had died down, they still managed to semi-float away. Once was being dragged down into the ocean by a piece of coral.

After everyone had said their words, and made their peace, most of the survivors turned to the refreshments that Emmett and Rosalie had brought. It was set up picnic-style on several blankets all connected on the beach.

"This was really depressing." Quil muttered, stating the obvious.

Angela shrugged and nudged Quil. "But it was helpful. So is that limp permanent?"

Quil nodded and made a face. "Unfortunately. But hey, it's better than not being able to walk at all right?"

"Agreed. I love being able to walk again. I can't run very well yet, but small improvements. After all, it's only been a year." Angela gave Quil a half hug then took a seat on the blanket by Felix. The two had been going strong in their relationship and had even made plans to move in together soon.

Bella walked over to Rosalie who was standing by Emmett, and gave the blonde a hug. She hadn't seen Rosalie since their time at the hospital. Rosalie returned the hug tenfold and grinned at Bella. "I was surprised when you emailed me about this. I thought it was stupid at first, but now that we've actually done it, I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders."

"Me too." Bella agreed. "How are you? I hope everything is going well."

Rosalie lifted up her left hand and flashed Bella her engagement ring. "Em and I are getting married."

Bella's eyes widened in delightful surprise. "That's wonderful Rosalie." she hugged the girl again and looked at the ring.

"A lot of people tell us to wait. But after all that we've been through, life is too short to wait."

Bella nodded in agreement. "You don't have to convince me. I agree. I feel like we've aged so much since that island. We're barely 19 and it's like..."

Bella didn't need to finish her sentence. Rosalie understood.

Leah shrieked suddenly, gathering the attention of all the teens. "Embry, you know I'm allergic to carrots."

Embry dangled the baby carrot in front of Leah's face. "Not liking something is different than being allergic." he told her jokingly.

"I can't believe I'm in love with you." she crossed her arms and glared at him.

Embry kissed her cheek tenderly and watched her face redden in embarrassment. "I make you happy, Lee-lee. I'm going to marry you one day. I promise." he whispered in her ear.

"Get a room." Quil joked, throwing a carrot at Leah who sent him her famous death glare.

Alice nudged Jasper "I can't believe they got together. It's nice though."

Jasper glanced over at Leah who looked ready to throttle Quil. "It is. I'm happy we survived."

"Me too." Alice nuzzled into his cheek. "I like this. Everyone back together. We should do this more often."

Alec felt like the odd man out, seeing everyone paired up. He, Quil and Edward were the only ones still single. While that didn't usually bother him, seeing everyone snuggled up with their partner made him feel down. "Hey, anybody wanna play frisbee?"

Many of the teens cheered and followed Alec a few feet away to wear they wouldn't trample all over the picnic area. This was a great interlude as Rosalie and Emmett had brought a grill and were going to grill some food.

Bella wanted to join the frisbee game, but Edward tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey can I talk to you?"

"Sure." Bella walked with Edward along the beach, away from the survivors. "What's on your mind?" she asked curiously.

Edward fiddled with his fingers. "I'm sorry about kissing you on the island."

Bella laughed lightly. "Edward that was over a year ago. I've forgotten all about that."

"I figured you would've, but it's been weighing on me." He sighed and stared at the ocean. "I really did like you Bella."

Bella didn't know how to respond as she never felt anything for Edward that wasn't platonic.

"Do you think think there was ever a chance for us-

"Edward, I'm with Jacob. You know that." Bella stopped walking and Edward turned so he was standing in front of her.

He held up his hands in a shocked manner. "I was going to say, is there a chance for us to be friends?"

"Oh." Bella felt embarrassed for jumping to conclusions. "Sure, why not? Just don't try anything." she poked him in the chest playfully. "Want to join the frisbee game? It looks fun."

Edward shrugged un-committedly. "I guess. Hey Bella, may I ask you one more question?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

Bella knew what Edward meant and glanced over at Jacob who had a silly grin on his face after catching the frisbee. "I'm in love with my best friend who returns the feelings." Bella turned to Edward with a sparkling smile. "I couldn't be more happy."

Edward smiled sadly at Bella. "I hope to find such happiness one day."

"I'm sure you will." Bella hugged Edward briefly then jogged over to Jacob's side.

Jacob sent Bella a half grin then nodded his head towards Edward. "What was that about, should I be worried?" It was a semi-joke but also serious.

Bella stood on her tip-toes and kissed Jacob daintily on his lips. "Of course not. I love you Jacob."

While Jacob was surprised by the kiss, he returned it tenfold. "I love you too."

The pair returned to the game and everyone played on the beach with the knowledge that they civilization was only a stones toss away. They would all be able to go home that day, and every day after that.

_The End _

**A/N: I guess I lied to you guys in the previous chapter when I said that I would be posting the epilogue soon. It's been what... a year? My oh my, doesn't time fly by fast? Here is the epilogue of SOS. Even though I disappeared from time to time while writing this story, I would like to thank every single of one of you. To my fans who reviewed, thank you very much! You really kept me inspired and I truly appreciated every word, thanks for taking the time out to leave a review of encouragement or critique. You are the MVP. To my fans who fav'd my story, bless your hearts. Every fav I received was really touching. It feels so nice to know that this story I came up with out of the blue, amused you and kept you interested. To my fans who merely read the story but didn't fav/review, I really hope you liked the story as it was a pleasure to write. I know the story seemed so strange and at times didn't make sense. But it was only meant for entertainment purposes and yes I know, icebergs don't form in the ocean they happened to be traveling in-but that's beside the point! Don't look for logic in this work of fiction, instead just enjoy the chaos! Thanks again to everyone who read my story. **


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